Monroe homeless shelter closed as the community fights to re-open it
Homeless shelter condemned, fighting to re-open
People at Oak Village knew the shelter on 2nd Street in Monroe needed work, but they never imagined it would lead to what had been happening.
(FOX 2) - A safe haven for the homeless in Monroe has been closed, leaving dozens of people who called it home struggling to find a stable place to shelter.
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People at Oak Village knew the shelter on 2nd Street in Monroe needed work, but they never imagined it would lead to what had been happening.
"We requested the inspections because we needed to know what to address," said Executive Director of Oak’s Village Garry Moore.
Moore took the reins at Oak Village 9 months prior, but not too long ago he was in a much different role.
"This place saved me when I first came here five years ago, and I’ve seen so many people come through here, their lives being changed and transformed," said Moore.
So when the place got condemned for a lack of fire suppression, outdated circuit breakers, and non-compliance for those with disabilities, he knew it would make life difficult for those who rely on this place.
"We had 50 people that had been displaced," he said.
When the doors to the shelter were locked for good on Tuesday, that meant that people who were staying here had to find an alternative place to live; hotels, other accommodations, and that meant that some people fell back into bad habits.
"It’s hard once they get out of this environment, where you are put in a hotel where drugs are available all over. There is no accountability anymore, and this was a stable place for a lot of people," said Moore.
What's next:
Now, there is a major effort to raise the funds needed to make repairs and re-open the doors. The shelter has a GoFundMe page where people can help.
The current estimate is around $500,000.
"To extend the building out and make it ADA compliant, that’s a big project. Everything else we can do in a couple weeks probably," said Moore.
The building has served as a homeless shelter in Monroe since 2016.