Mike Zimmer, the executive director for the men’s shelter, stands next to the shelter’s 14-seat bus.

Started in 2013, the Men’s Winter Refuge has served more than 1,200 men experiencing homelessness.

The shelter has come a long way since its start. When the organization started the men were sleeping on sleeping bags and air mattresses. Since then the refuge has moved into a comfortable home with 12 beds, four bedrooms, and two full bathrooms, as well as a large kitchen and living room area.

The intake process for an individual in need of assistance is a fairly simple process. First and foremost, the men have to be 100% clean and sober.

“Most guys will contact me directly by looking us up online. Other than that, we get referrals from other nonprofits within the community. After that, I give them a quick rundown of what our rules are and if they are still interested, we run a background check and go from there,” said Mike Zimmer, the shelter’s executive director.

The refuge has a 14-seat bus that was given to the shelter from grants within the community. The bus is used to get men to work, appointments and other places. The bus also is used each Wednesday to give people rides from Milton Young and Henry Tower apartments to The Lord’s Cupboard food pantry.

During the warmer months, the shelter closes its doors but still helps with keeping men indoors each night. From May to October the shelter is able to help with hotel rooms as well as referrals to other agencies in town.

James Jaminez, a shelter board member, is one of the shelter’s many success stories.

“James called me from the Dollar Tree, telling me his story, and he took it upon himself to get to Minot. He showed up on the bus and called me to tell me what’s going on. From there I said, ‘OK, well, it’s 20 below. Let’s get you a bed,'” Zimmer said.

“When I first walked through that door, there was a hot meal right there, a nice comfortable bed. I got all clean stuff. It took me two days to get there on a bus so a hot shower and clean clothes were amazing, Jaminez said.

“He still comes in once a week and volunteers for an overnight shift,” Zimmer said. “The guys get to know him and it’s another voice for the guys to talk to and listen to.”

“We have had lots of success stories, not only helping them find a job and an apartment but in some cases even helping them reconnect with family they’ve been separated from for years,” Zimmer said. “For me that’s the coolest part of the job – seeing guys go through the whole process, seeing them from when they first got here to seeing them get their own place. I’ll see guys in line at the store and catch up to see how they’re doing.”

As the shelter continues to grow, the needs grow as well. The most constant needs are financial support, evening meals for the residents, and during the winter months, overnight volunteers to stay on site from 7 p.m.-5 a.m. Zimmer said men and women from Minot Air Force Base are on night staff as most of them are on night shift already, so it works well that their sleep schedules are not disrupted.