St. Vincent de Paul will stop operating its Gateway Homeless Shelter for Men next June, the third housing organization in the region to cut back services in recent months.
The city of Dayton didn't respond to requests for comment, but said in a statement that they're looking for a new provider to take over running the shelter and avoid service interruptions.
"I am deeply disappointed with St. Vincent de Paul’s decision to no longer operate at the Gateway Homeless Shelter for Men," Dayton Mayor Jeffrey Mims Jr. said in a statement. "The City will work diligently with all partners to ensure a seamless transition and uninterrupted services for the men who depend on this shelter. Our commitment to supporting vulnerable populations remains steadfast, as ensuring the well-being and stability of our community is our top priority."
On average, 240 men are housed at the Gateway Shelter on South Gettysburg Avenue.
St. Vincent de Paul Society leaders say they are stepping away from it due to federal funding running out as expenses continue to rise.
“The inflationary pressures that came from the pandemic and the large stimulus that came that helped us pay the bills in the short term drove inflation higher," said Michael Vanderburgh, executive director of St. Vincent De Paul Society.
The nonprofit also runs its primary Apple Street shelter, the De Paul Center downtown, Kettering Commons, Safe Haven and other supportive housing services.
"We still have multiple locations where we serve homeless folks in a setting that's not an emergency shelter, in addition to the Apple Street shelter for women and families," Vanderburgh said. "So there are still men with children at the Apple Street shelter and of course, we still have single women and then other women with children."
The organization wants to continue to support locations such as the Apple Street shelter that’s closer to vital resources.
“It's very close to the job center, it's very close to the health department, it’s very close to the VA hospital out at Gettysburg,” Vanderburgh said.
St. Vincent will host community conversations in the future to hear what people want to see done with the current shelters.
The nonprofit doesn’t expect other shelters operated by St. Vincent in Dayton to cut back or close.
"For the last 15 years that we've had two emergency shelters open, we've always been able to say there's always room at the end and we can't say that anymore," Vanderburgh said. "And so that's a big change. So we have to do some thoughtful consideration of how best to serve the people who need this the most."
Financial pressures have taken a toll on other nonprofit housing groups. Places Inc. in Dayton and Sheltered Inc. in Springfield also cut services after losing funding from the federal American Rescue Plan Act in June.
"And so when there aren't enough affordable housing units, then it's not just about that moment, that single experience of homelessness, but the fact that it's so difficult for us to end that episode of homelessness by helping the person find permanent housing."
"We are hopeful that there will be more dollars that will be allocated, especially to the provision of more housing units and building more affordable housing within our community, which will have a direct impact on reducing homelessness," said Amy Riegel, executive director of the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio.
Shelters are seeing more people needing emergency housing, Riegel said, but that additional COVID relief money has run out.
“A lot of dollars came down to help support shelters during the pandemic. Those dollars are now gone. They are not being replaced in another way in our community,” she said.
High staff turnover rates, a lack of viable housing and inflation are other factors affecting shelters, she said.
"There is such a drastic shortage all across the state of Ohio in housing units," Riegel said "And so when there aren't enough affordable housing units, then it's not just about that moment, that single experience of homelessness, but the fact that it's so difficult for us to end that episode of homelessness by helping the person find permanent housing."
The budget for homeless shelters has fallen flat for almost a decade, Riegel said.
"As wages go up, as the price of supplies go up, as the costs of operating a building (go up), but then also as the price and the cost increase to help house the individuals, the fact that the money has remained stagnant or flat basically means they're taking a 6 to 10% reduction in funding every year," she said. "Not that they're just maintaining status quo, but they're actually losing ground."
