Shelter closure displaces many

MIDVALE — It's crowded and cluttered and sickness spreads quickly and lingers indefinitely. But the nondescript warehouse, nestled unceremoniously between a set of train tracks and the freeway, has kept more than a hundred families out of the elements this winter season.

"If they didn't have this place, they'd have a lot of kids on the streets," said Rick Noble, who, along with his 15-year-old son, has stayed at The Road Home's emergency shelter on two occasions since it opened in November.

With just a handful of days left before its closing at noon today, the overflow shelter still housed 13 homeless families — including many small children — with nowhere to go.

"This is a lot of people to have at the end of the season," said Celeste Eggert, The Road Home's director of development and community relations.

Adam and Lisa Jaeger came to the Midvale facility almost a month ago with two daughters, 2 years and 8 months, after Lisa's mother moved out the house where they had been living. By mid-week, the couple still didn't know where they would be after today.

"Everyone knows they're closing, so everyone's trying to find a place to live," said Adam Jaeger, 24.

The tension adds to an already stressful situation for shelter workers as well as homeless residents, Noble said.

"You can tell, man, they're just stressing because they don't know where to put everybody," he said. "Once they shelter you, they can't just put you on the streets."

No one will end up on the street, Eggert said. Shelter staff made a big end-of-the-season push to find alternate accommodations for each of the families.

"We're going to find places for all of these folks to go," she said. "Everyone that's here, we will find an alternate location for them."

Some families, such as Noble and his son, will go to The Road Home's downtown facility until housing assistance comes through. Others may find themselves in motel rooms while awaiting space in the main shelter or a place of their own.

The Road Home relies on federal funds, funneled through area housing authorities, to help homeless families into permanent housing. Depending on each person's situation, the tenant-based rental assistance program can offer either one-time money for a deposit and first month's rent or an ongoing subsidy until additional assistance is secured.