Ramsey County, Interfaith Action of Greater Saint Paul, and the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet are hosting two virtual town halls on Monday, Dec. 21, and Tuesday, Jan. 5, to discuss a potential shelter for families with children experiencing homelessness. The proposed family shelter would be located in the Sisters of St. Joseph’s Provincial House at 1880 Randolph Avenue.

Interfaith Action would operate the Provincial House as part of its Project Home program, with financial support from Ramsey County. The shelter would serve approximately 20 families.

We want to hear from you at two upcoming virtual town halls, which are a first step in the community process to evaluate this potential shelter location.

Monday, Dec. 21, 2020
5-6:30 p.m.
Join via Zoom or phone.

Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2021
5-6:30 p.m.
Join via Zoom or phone.

This week the temporary shelter for women and couples at Luther Seminary’s Stub Hall opened, with capacity for 50 people. The shelter will remain open through the spring.

The shelter operates as a referral program. Other existing shelters and outreach teams made up of community partners and law enforcement refer women and couples experiencing homelessness to the facility, which operates 24/7. Once referred, residents can stay for several days.

We plan to continue to have conversations with the community about this shelter as it becomes operational and will share more information about these opportunities soon.

Learn more about the temporary Luther Seminary shelter here. 

The Capital Area Architectural and Planning Board voted Wednesday to approve the permit variances needed to open the Bethesda shelter. The shelter program is anticipated to open on Dec. 23. Additionally, the county's COVID-19 respite program, which has served those who have been exposed to or tested posted for COVID-19 since the spring, will move to Bethesda on Dec. 22.

The facility will eventually add 100 beds for unsheltered residents who can access the shelter through a referral from other emergency shelters within Ramsey County. There are currently more than 300 people sleeping outdoors in Saint Paul on any given night, which is an untenable situation in our community. This plan for Bethesda will allow us to expand our shelter capacity across our current system and create more space for individuals still sleeping outside each evening to have a place to go.

We plan to continue to engage the community as the shelter and respite programs become operational. We will share more details about those community conversations soon.

Learn more about the Bethesda Hospital site here.