COTS

Mission: To end homelessness and provide emergency shelter, services, and long-term housing for people who are experiencing homelessness or are marginally housed.

COTS was founded in 1982 by volunteers as a community response to the newly emerging homeless population. The volunteers had a simple goal: Keep people from freezing to death. We carry forward our founders’ abiding faith in a better world and their unwavering belief in the dignity and the infinite promise of every human life. COTS provides emergency shelter, support services, prevention resources, and housing for those without homes or at risk of homelessness.

We have multiple shelters to meet the needs of our individuals and families, including: the Waystation, our overnight shelter; the Daystation, our daytime drop in shelter; and our Family Shelters, specifically for parents with children. But we don’t stop there…we go beyond providing safe shelters for those in need. We also have a team dedicated to supporting currently or at risk individuals experiencing homelessness with finding resources available to them through state and federal programs, assistance from other local community resources, and other additional support as needed. We believe in empowering these individuals to ensure a transition out of shelter housing into long term affordable housing is attainable and sustainable.