MILWAUKEE — At Repairers of the Breach, a homeless shelter in the heart of the city, Rev. James West is preparing for the cold months ahead. 

For the past six years, this shelter has been a lifeline for people without one, offering not just warmth but hope to those with nowhere else to turn. 

“Milwaukee can have some very brutal winters,” West said. “The temperatures can definitely get dangerous, and that’s the reason for the emergency rooms.”

The shelter’s emergency warming room opens its doors at 7 a.m. Monday through Saturday and offers overnight stays. 

Inside, visitors have access to showers, basic utilities and a sense of community. 

Opheous Simmons said he knows what it’s like to rely on this space. He spent five winters searching for shelter, often sleeping in his car.

“There was a night that I was sleeping in my car,” he said. “It got so cold, I thought I wasn’t going to make it.”

That night, Simmons found his way to Repairers of the Breach.

“I turned to the preacher and asked, ‘Can we stay here tonight? All night?’ And he said, ‘Yes,’” Simmons recalled. “He said, ‘Yeah, that’s the new thing. You can stay all night.’”

Now, Simmons volunteers at the shelter where he helps others who face the same struggles that he once did. 

“Knowing how cold it’s going to get, these resources have to stay open,” Simmons said.

Since opening the doors for the season on Nov. 25, West said Repairers of the Breach is set to remain open until March 31.