ADRIAN — Helen Henricks, first executive director of Share the Warmth, wouldn’t have cared about having her name on a building. 

At least that’s what Michael Hendershot, board chair of Share the Warmth of Lenawee, believes. Henricks’ passion was for the people who needed to use services the year-round homeless shelter provides. 

But that passion and care is the very reason Share the Warmth is dedicating their newly renovated shelter in Henricks’ name. Because without Henricks, Share the Warmth of Lenawee as it stands now might not exist. 

Hendershot said Henricks, who died unexpectedly in 2021, was one of the driving forces behind the creation of the shelter as it is today. 

With her background as a social worker, she was a natural choice to take the lead on shaping something like Share the Warmth. So when she was recruited by Sister Pat Schnapp to help, she dove right in. But the organization has changed a lot since those early years. 

“Share the Warmth started not at the old Moose lodge but by occupying space in churches,” Hendershot said. 

“It was just a wintertime program at first. It started in churches and then the Salvation Army. We were even in the Bohn Pool building for a while.” 

But when more and more people were dying because of homelessness in the Adrian community, Henricks knew Share the Warmth needed to become more than just a seasonal program. Then, when it transitioned to a year-round resource, she retired from her day job and became the organization’s first executive director, a position she held until she passed away more than three years ago. 

Today, Share the Warmth has continued on, much in Henricks’ vision of putting people first. The refurbished building is part of this legacy, the upgrades made with the people who interact with the shelter most in mind, both to be good neighbors for those who live near the shelter and to provide the best care for those who use it. The outside of the building was refinished, there’s new cooking equipment inside and new rooftop units to keep things comfortable, because comfort is key when serving the homeless population well. 

“Imagine being homeless and outside all day and being treated as less than good,” Hendershot said. “You probably haven’t had a lot of positive experiences during the day. The last thing you want to do is come back to a building that is another negative experience. Imagine coming home to your house and it’s shiny and it’s clean and it’s welcoming. We wanted the homeless community to come somewhere that’s inviting, warm, clean and safe. All the negatives stop at the door.”

When Henricks invited Hendershot to join the Share the Warmth board five years ago, he didn’t know much about homelessness. In fact, he says, he held a lot of the same opinions about the unhoused population as many others do. 

“I had an uneducated opinion,” he said. “I thought homelessness was lazy and about someone who doesn’t want to work. That couldn’t be further from the truth.” 

In fact, Hendershot said, the vast majority of people who use Share the Warmth’s services are employed, many of them full time. They just haven’t been able to keep up with the rising cost of living while working jobs that pay less than $15 an hour, often also dealing with many other issues that can be crippling.

“Homelessness isn’t lazy, it’s broken,” he said. “It’s mental illness, it’s addiction, it’s trauma, it’s anything but lazy. …

“My passion is, how do we help those people rebuild? How do we help them move up instead of down?” 

Share the Warmth is just one part of solving the problem of homelessness in Lenawee County but it isn’t the whole picture. According to Hendershot, Adrian has an affordable housing problem that’s only making the homelessness problem worse. The organization does what it can to help combat the numbers problem — budgeting classes are one of their biggest offerings, Hendershot said — but some things are hard to overcome. 

“Most people are just a few missed paychecks away from being homeless,” he said. “That’s the reality of the world we live in today. People are paycheck to paycheck. The cost of living in Lenawee County in general is just out of reach for most people. If you’re carrying things like addiction or mental illness or trauma, it’s overwhelming.” 

But Share the Warmth is there to do its part to care for some of the most vulnerable members of Adrian’s community, all while carrying on Henricks’ legacy and name. 

“Helen’s passion was people,” Hendershot said. “Share the Warmth’s focus is people. The building is a tool by which we serve people and yes, the building is the focus of the rededication but it’s really about the people inside the building. That’s what Helen would want everyone to remember.” 

The dedication of the Share the Warmth shelter in memory of Helen Henricks will take place on Friday, Sept. 6, at 5:30 p.m. The shelter is at 427 W. Maumee St., Adrian. For more information about the shelter and its mission, go to stwlenawee.org.