The Wareham Clergy Association's Nights of Hospitality, which provides Wareham's homeless with a place to sleep during the winter, was cut from four to three churches after a Feb. 5 inspection of the Emmanuel Assembly of God by the Onset Fire Department, town sewer department, building inspectors, and the Board of Health, determined that the church needed upgrades in order to continue functioning as a temporary homeless shelter.

"We're set. We're ready to go. We got all the work done," said the Rev. Colon Wright, pastor of the church and president of the Wareham Area Clergy Association. The building passed inspection Friday Feb. 26 and began hosting Nights of Hospitality on Feb. 28 as scheduled. Wright said he was very grateful for the donation.

The church could still hold services after the inspection and was not a danger to attendees, Wright said. But once a building becomes a temporary shelter it must adhere to different safety guidelines, so Wright could not have people sleeping there until he completed the requirements.

Among the requirements, the church needed a certificate of occupancy in order to operate as a temporary shelter, carbon-monoxide detectors and hardwired smoke detectors, and a landline phone in the area of the shelter. Employees and volunteers also needed training in emergency procedures, said Onset Fire Chief Howard Andersen.

The three other Nights of Hospitality churches were also inspected; all passed.

From Feb. 6

The Wareham Clergy Association's Nights of Hospitality, which provides Wareham's homeless with a place to sleep during the winter, will be cutback from four to three churches while Emmanuel Assembly of God completes upgrades necessary to continue functioning as a temporary homeless shelter.

Emmanuel Assembly of God, the only Nights of Hospitality participant located in Onset, was inspected Feb. 5 by the Onset Fire Department, town sewer department, building inspectors, and the Board of Health. It was given a number of requirements it must complete before reopening its doors to the homeless.

The church can still hold services and is not a danger to attendees, said the Rev. Colon Wright, pastor at the church and president of the Wareham Area Clergy Association. But once a building becomes a temporary shelter for Nights of Hospitality, it must adhere to different safety guidelines, so Wright cannot have people sleeping there until he completes the requirements.

Among the requirements, the church must get a certificate of occupancy in order to operate as a temporary shelter, install carbon-monoxide detectors, hardwired smoke detectors, and a landline phone in the area of the shelter, and train employees and volunteers in emergency procedures, said Onset Fire Chief Howard Andersen.

"We're trying to be positive in getting [the church] up to speed because of the liability on the church and the liability on the fire department," Andersen said. "We want to protect them, [and] we want to protect the people who are staying overnight to take advantage of the service they provide."

Wright also saw the situation as positive. "It's a good thing to get us up to safety," he said.

But he is concerned about how the church will meet the requirements, especially the installation of the hardwired smoke detectors, which he said could cost a few thousand dollars.

"We don't have the money to hire an electrician," Wright said. The church's only source of income is offerings from those who attend.

Wright said that it is unlikely that the church will be able raise the necessary funds and complete the upgrades by Feb. 28, which is the next time it is scheduled to host Nights of Hospitality, but he is remaining upbeat.

"God's always met our needs," Wright said. "It's another hurdle to jump."

The three other Nights of Hospitality churches were also inspected; all passed.

To donate to help the Emmanuel Assembly of God meet its requirements, contact pastor Colon Wright at 508-295-3111.