The weather may belie it, but winter is coming and Turlock’s shelters are starting to gear up for it.

The Turlock Gospel Mission is nearing completion on the dorms of its year-round shelter and readying to embark on the next phase, while We Care has announced it will be opening its emergency shelter for homeless men starting Nov. 8 and are currently looking for churches, groups and organizations to fill out the nightly dinner calendar.

The first phase of the Turlock Gospel Mission’s year-round shelter project at 437 S. Broadway will encompass dormitories for homeless men, women, and children, restrooms with showers, and laundry facilities and is expected to be completed and open by the end of November, said TGM’s Executive Director Tim Guerino. TGM is slated to move out of the Homeless Assistance Ministry center on East Avenue by Nov. 30.

TGM will start the winter relief food and shelter program beginning Nov. 8. The winter relief program has churches providing a nightly meal to the homeless and a warm place for homeless women and children to sleep overnight. In the 2012-13 season the winter relief program served 1,580 guests and provided overnight shelter to 99 guests.

The entire year-round shelter project, which will include a kitchen, dining hall, and office space, is estimated to cost $1.8 million Guerino said. It will eventually have a capacity of about 168 individuals. The first step of the dormitories is costing about $500,000. TGM is working to raise the additional $200,000 needed to complete the first step and $500,000 to start work on the industrial kitchen with a cold storage facility that will be a part of the shelter. The organization is also trying to raise $150,000 to purchase a new day center property.

“It’s very exciting to see it coming together,” Guerino said. “This is a place that is being built with donor money, from the person who gives $5 to all kinds of money. The community has built this and that is amazing.”

Just recently an anonymous donor gave TGM $5,000 and challenged those in the community to match it.

TGM will be holding an open house to show off the progress of the year-round shelter on Oct. 14 with the time to be determined.

The We Care Program is gearing up for its 13th winter shelter season with a yard sale to raise some of the needed funds. The yard sale is set for 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. today and Sunday at 219 S. Broadway.

We Care also is looking for groups and individuals to fill the slots in its nightly dinner calendar. Sign-ups can be made online at http://wecareturlock.org or by calling 664-2003.