It is no secret that the Pandemic has impacted the homeless situation. Restrictions and closures have left some without work which has led to poverty. This has led to some being left without a place to go. This has ended up raising the amount of homeless. In St. Thomas, the situation is no different, and up until this point, the city has been left without permanent 24/7 housing services. That is where the homeless shelter, formerly known as Inn Out of the Cold, comes in.
Now named The INN, the shelter is now a 24/7 housing service located in the heart of St. Thomas. The shelter can house up to 40 people. To get some insight into how this new location came to be, I spoke to Executive Director Lori Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald shared what challenges got in the way during the creation process.
“We had several challenges. We acquired, or actually, the city acquired the building last January. We were hoping to open it in the summer or the early fall, but many challenges due to COVID got in the way. Supply and renovating an older building also produced some barriers to us opening as soon as we wanted. Now that we’re here, we’re happy to be here.”
Fitzgerald continues with some history behind what The Inn used to be.
“Inn out of the cold has been operating for 11 and a half years. We started in 2010 out of a church. Then in the Pandemic, in partnership with the city of St. Thomas, we opened the day site downtown. So, this new site that opened a couple of weeks ago was just an amalgamation of those two, bringing together the whole process. Had the Pandemic not happened, we probably would have gone on a much slower trajectory to becoming not only a year-round shelter but a 24/7 shelter.”
The need for this shelter is much more significant than you might think. To get a look into the homeless situation in St. Thomas, I spoke with the City of St. Thomas’ Homelessness Prevention & Housing Programs Supervisor Danielle Neilson.
Neilson shares what she believes has impacted the homeless situation in St. Thomas the most.
“A prime example of how and why that’s happening is what you see in our housing market. So, with those inflated prices and skyrocketing rents, that’s having an impact right across the whole spectrum of housing. Often, people living in marginalized housing or low-income or severe poverty tend to be impacted the worst. So, in those types of market changes and scenarios, we are seeing an increase in numbers of people experiencing housing instability.”
When asked if the Pandemic will have a lasting impact on the homeless situation, Neilson had this to say:
Whether the impact lasts or it does not, Neilson believes the city is ready.
“St. Thomas is committed to providing as much support as possible for people that are in these vulnerable situations. In my position daily, I get to see up close and personal the depth of compassion and commitment in our community to respond to these urgent needs. So on that end of the spectrum, I would say that is where our local homeless challenges are getting better.”
When asked about what Executive Director Lori Fitzgerald was most proud of at The Inn, she said this.
“We have such great partnerships. Historically, we were operating only in winter and only really for 12 or 14 hours overnight. So we didn’t have the opportunity to provide more than basic needs. But now, especially where we have a home, and we’re open 24/7, this is something I am so excited and proud to be a part of.”
The Inn is located at 10 Princess Ave in St. Thomas and can house up to 40 people needing housing services.
