St. Vincent will halt work June 30, and city leaders say they will seek a new shelter provider, with a goal to remain open with no interruption of services.
In a letter posted to social media, the St. Vincent de Paul Society blamed the closure of the shelter on “a reduction in government funding.” The society said it “is facing a budget gap that cannot practically or sustainably be filled by private donations or other funding sources.”
It said that it would continue to serve homeless men at the DePaul Center in downtown Dayton and at its Safe Haven and Kettering Commons communities.
The Gateway Shelter for Men moved to the South Gettysburg facility in 2009, after previously being housed at St. Vincent de Paul’s facility at 120 W. Apple Street, just south of downtown Dayton, near Miami Valley Hospital.
The Apple Street facility is home to the Shelter for Women and Families, which sheltered record numbers of kids and families late last year.
Dayton Mayor Jeffrey Mims Jr. said in a statement that he’s deeply disappointed by the facility’s closure.
“The city will work diligently with all partners to ensure a seamless transition and uninterrupted services for the men who depend on this shelter,” the mayor said. “Our commitment to supporting vulnerable populations remains steadfast, as ensuring the well-being and stability of our community is our top priority.”
City officials said the city in recent months has worked with Montgomery County and St. Vincent de Paul leadership to try to identify potential solutions to prevent this from happening.
Dayton is not the first city in the region to have this problem in 2024. In August, the city of Springfield failed to reach a contract agreement with Dayton-based Homefull, which had run that area’s family homeless shelter out of a former Executive Inn hotel. In that case, changes were immediate, as about two dozen families with close to 70 children were moved to more limited shelters run by Sheltered Inc.
Dayton says the city and county have not reduced their funding support of the Gateway men’s shelter’s operations.
The city says it provided more than $3 million in emergency shelter grants to St. Vincent de Paul between 2016 and 2024, plus $3 million of its federal COVID relief aid.
Dayton City Manager Shelley Dickstein in a statement said the city is working closely with Montgomery County and the Dayton-Kettering-Montgomery County Continuum of Care to try to ensure that there is a smooth transition between homeless service providers for this vulnerable population. She said the goal is to avoid interrupting homeless shelter services.
“The city of Dayton is unwavering in its commitment to providing emergency shelter services 24/7, 365 days a year,” Dickstein said.
The city says it owns the Gateway Homeless Shelter for Men property, and a new provider of services will be selected through an open and competitive Request for Proposals (RFP) process.
The Gettysburg Gateway Shelter for Men is a 258-bed, 24-hour-a-day shelter for homeless single men, says St. Vincent de Paul’s combined financial statements.
The Gateway Shelter for Women and Families at Apple Street has about 253 beds and provides shelter 24-hours-a-day to homeless single women and their families.
Both shelters provide three meals each day, laundry services and have bath and shower facilities.
The shelters are supported primarily through private donor contributions and state and local grant funding.
Since 1985, St. Vincent de Paul has operated the Dayton community’s emergency overnight shelter for adults and families, once called the St. Vincent Hotel.
An old fire station downtown served as the shelter until it was moved to Apple Street in 2005. That facility was expanded in 2009, which is when the Gateway shelter for men on Gettysburg opened.
Staff writer Daniel Susco contributed to this report.
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