However, the ratio of staff to residents is one staff member per 30 residents, Lidums said. Charlotte, a shelter employee since last September, said not having enough help makes it hard to get everything done. The shelter has two working washers and driers. The dirty laundry frequently overflows out of the wash room and piles up in the narrow hallway. We haven't been getting many volunteers to help out with stuff like laundry and cleaning.
Residents simply have to do without.
It would make much more sense to have the day-center programs, both men's and women's night shelters, a support staff and administrative offices, like transient housing, all in one place so people don't have to spend hours and hours wandering around the city to get everything done. The Women's Shelter Since December, the men's and women's night shelters have been housed in separate facilities. Both night shelter programs were initially wedged into the W. Huron Street location. The women's facility, which is temporarily located in an office building on Main Street until April, can house up to 30 residents per night and has a separate office space for on-site administrative purposes. We hope that its new approach will be implemented eventually to a men's shelter.