THE REFUGE IN OTSEGO COUNTY OFFICE IS NOW CLOSED
AND WILL RE OPEN 11/2026
The mission of the Refuge in Otsego County is to provide temporary housing during the cold winter months (November 3 to May 1 earlier or later depending on weather) for residents of Otsego County who become homeless. The Refuge is now open but will re-open November, 2025. If you need help before Monday, November 3rd, call 2-1-1 or 844-875-9211 (24/7 hotline) for information regarding any other agency services available, including a list of Otsego landlords you can contact.
What we do
“Winter season(s) has been anything but ordinary,” said Judi Doan, former Coordinator of The Refuge in Otsego County. “The weather has been milder but that has not reduced the number of people seeking emergency shelter from The Refuge.”
The Refuge, provides short term housing help to Otsego residents by using hotels in the community. “We continue to set records far in excess of prior year totals – 1078 overnights for 164 people in 92 households and, we won’t close for another two months,” Doan continued. The dramatic increase in requests has been a big funding challenge for The Refuge, a largely volunteer organization with its roots in Faith based community organizations. As a 501(c)(3) non-profit, most of its funding comes from local individuals and organizations. “This year we are on track to serve more than 100 local households which nearly doubles our cost. We are so
grateful to those local individuals and organizations who have continued to support us, including several funds of the Otsego Community Foundation,” said Sue Smith, President of the Refuge.
“There seems to be little evidence the need is going to go down anytime soon,” said Doan. We see increases in our Otsego ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) population generally and that is our client base. In addition to the actual housing we provide, each month we also counsel and provide community services information to another 30-40 households in distress. This seems to be a need likely only to grow,” Doan concluded.
If you would like to support The Refuge’s efforts, you may donate electronically through www.otsegorefuge.org, mail a check to PO Box 44, Gaylord 49734 or drop a gift off to The Refuge office located in the United Way Building at 116 E. Fifth St. in Gaylord.
Change Lives
We provide overnight emergency shelter in Otsego County during the colder months – moving individuals from cars, tents, or other living arrangements, to safe accommodations.
Help to Guide
Homeless services are available but few know how to access them. The Refuge acts as “navigator” to help individuals find the resources they need and to create a “Moving Forward Plan” so they can go from homeless to housed.
Provide Hope
We provide breathing room - a rest from the stress of homelessness - so individuals can concentrate on next steps to end their homelessness.
Provide Stability
We provide housing until clients can, working their Moving Forward Plan, get themselves started on a new positive path.
THANKS to Many Generous Supporters
The Refuge is deeply grateful for the incredible community of donors, partners, volunteers, and supporters who help make our mission possible every day.
For years, generous individuals and organizations have stepped forward to ensure that The Refuge can continue providing caring, quality, and efficient services to our homeless friends and neighbors. That support has never been more important than it is today.
WAYS TO GIVE TO YOUR COMMUNITY
There are numerous ways to give back to your community for charitable purposes. For The Refuge, you may contact Al, Shelter Coordinator, at 989-350-8231 if you would like to find out how you can help, including what types of support products (and how many) are needed during the shelter season. You can always write a check or make a credit card gift on our website as a tax deductible direct donation (www.otsegorefuge.org), give a gift as part or all of a required IRA annual distribution,
as a legacy gift in your will, ask your employer if the employer has any kind of “match” program for employee charitable gifts, encourage your local religious or civic organizations to consider directly supporting or encouraging members to jointly support local non-profit organizations, and last, participate in opportunities customers have to give through invoices for services, like
utilities. The People Fund of Great Lakes Energy is a great example of an opportunity for customers to “round-up” their monthly utility bills to the next dollar. Funds received are used to make grants to local charitable organizations in local communities across the GLE northern Michigan service area. The Refuge and other groups in Otsego have been recipients of the support of the GLE People Fund in the past. If you are a customer, you can find out more/enroll at www.gtlakes.com.
Frequently asked questions
OTHER IMPORTANT CONTACTS FOR SERVICES IN OTSEGO COUNTY: DIAL “211”.
HELP A FRIEND OR FAMILY MEMBER
If you know of someone who needs housing services, please call The Refuge Office at 989-732-8929 and ask for The Refuge or submit a confidential referral on this website. Thank you for your assistance.