So the county notified the two hotels they were opting out of the leases, which were to expire next May. He said the county initially was set to shutter all five of its temporary shelters this past spring, but that the continuing pandemic changed the plan to one of saving dollars by “consolidating bed space to meet what we actually need.” Paul also continues to provide emergency overnight shelter for up to 64 single adults.īy closing the hotel shelters, Ramsey County can stretch out the $26 million in federal COVID-19 funds that were allocated for addressing homelessness during the pandemic and have since dried up, said Keith Lattimore, director of housing stability. Paul have begun increasing capacity, which shrank in mid-2020 because of social distancing. They note that both Higher Ground and Union Gospel Mission in St. Paul - Mary Hall at the former Dorothy Day Center, Stub Hall on the Luther Seminary campus and Bethesda, the former hospital - all have space to accommodate some of those who were at the hotels. The county says its other emergency shelters in St. Many of those people without housing ended up at the temporary shelters. The county’s effort went into overdrive in spring 2020 as area homelessness agencies scaled back capacity at their shelters because of social-distancing guidelines. Like Capitol Ridge, it also opened in July 2020 and has been near or at capacity during its entire run.Ĭounty officials say closing the hotel shelters makes sense operationally and financially, and that trying to get everyone a safe place to stay continues to be at the heart of their response to homelessness during the pandemic. 30 end of the county’s other hotel temporary shelter, the 80-room Best Western Como Park that housed women and couples. Work at Capitol Ridge is coming to an end, however, as the county has decided to shutter the 125-room shelter on Nov. Who is a better advocate for the homeless than someone who was one of them? That’s why I’m here, doing what I do.”
“That’s why I’m adamant about helping all of these people get what they need. I thank God every day,” said Johnson, who now has an apartment in downtown St. He eventually landed a room at the hotel, then a full-time job there. Shortly after arriving in the Twin Cities from Chicago in 2019, the 63-year-old stayed at Catholic Charities’ Higher Ground in St. Johnson said he can relate, because he too was homeless and turned to Capitol Ridge for shelter. As a shelter wellness assistant, it is Johnson’s job to make sure residents have what they need during their stay, whether it’s a ride to a grocery store or a daily temperature check for COVID. Paul that the county set up in July of last year for those 55 and older.
Ramsey County shuts down one emergency hotel homeless shelter, second closure imminent – Twin Citiesīoth by choice and not, Anthony Johnson has been right there alongside those who are experiencing homelessness.įor the past 15 months, he has been among Ramsey County staff working at Best Western Capitol Ridge, a COVID-19 emergency homeless shelter near downtown St.
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