SHEPHERDSVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- There's new hope for those looking for a warm place to stay in Bullitt County.

For months, those with Mark 12 Ministries in Shepherdsville have been searching for a new location to create a white flag shelter for the winter, to open when temperatures drop below 35 degrees.

In recent years, the organization has used space inside Mercy Hill Church off West Joe B. Hall Avenue, but because of the pandemic, the church space is now too small for proper social distancing.

"Our church members are broken-hearted honestly. They wanted to have the shelter here again," said Mark 12 Executive Director Perry Cooke in December. "It was all the requirements and restrictions as far as the COVID guidelines."

Now, in the first week of January, Cooke said Mark 12 Ministries has found a solution to create a shelter this winter.

"We reached out to an individual that had these tents for sale and we were going to purchase the tents and they actually saw what we were doing and donated the tents to the ministry, which saved us about $1,000," Cooke said. 

The individual donated two large, old Army tents.

With the help of a Louisville group called Rolling Ministries, those with Mark 12 were able to get the tents set up Jan. 3 in an empty, grassy lot next to Mercy Hill Church. Cooke said each tent will be able to safely hold 10 people. The group is looking for one more tent, depending on shelter demand.

"The city came through and allowed us to use that piece of property which is next to our church," said Cooke.

Cooke said the next phase will be recruiting enough volunteers to oversee the shelter on nights when it is open. Volunteers will stay in an enclosed trailer on site. If enough people step up to help, there's also a possibility the tents could be open during the day as warming shelters. 

Cooke said Mark 12 Ministries will provide propane to heat the tents. The organization is also planning to set up portable restrooms on site.

The goal is to have the shelter up and running by this weekend.

"We know we would have been open at least 10-15 days in December and we would have been open every day this week," said Cooke.

If you'd like to volunteer, you can click here to learn more about Mark 12 Ministries or find the group on Facebook. The shelter will be set up off West Joe B. Hall Avenue in Shepherdsville.

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