Smithfield Street homeless shelter to close Wednesday morning
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Tuesday is the last night for the shelter along Smithfield Street in Downtown Pittsburgh. It closes its doors for good Wednesday morning.
KDKA talked to some people about where they're going next and the barriers they anticipate some will face.
These steps along Smithfield Street are the gathering space for dozens, and at times, nearly 200 people experiencing homelessness.
Tuesday night is the final night they all can sleep at the makeshift shelter inside. There are no longer signs posted, but KDKA asked the county if it found space elsewhere for those in need.
"We've been making a lot of offers, it's going pretty well, over 100, 125 offers have been made, [but] not everybody accepts," says Erin Dalton, Director of Allegheny County's Department of Human Services.
Dalton says the county found spots for the core group of people who stay at the shelter and says the 20 other facilities across the region are better suited than the makeshift basement shelter along Smithfield for everyone involved.
"The nice thing about some of the other facilities is that people don't have to leave during the day, there is more opportunity for wrap-around services, so when they find themselves in those other locations, we can do a better job connecting them to the whole rest of the system."
At 7 a.m. Wednesday, the county says everyone should disperse and no longer gather out front of the historic church.
Nearby business owner Carl Herrmann understands that it'll take time.
"Oh, absolutely not, and I had no expectation it would be poof and gone; as I said, I know they had a certain number available, trying to make those connections, but it's a work in progress for sure," Herrmann said.
The normal closure comes three months later this year and follows months of complaints from Downtown business owners and people who work in the area. Some feel unsafe walking nearby, others call it unsanitary, as those gathered out front struggle to find accessible places to go the bathroom.
Herrmann believes this closure is the county showing compassion. Critics have argued otherwise.
"I think the county has a game plan to get these people the resources they need, whether it's a drug, rehab, mental health issues, what have you, but sleeping on a mat on a gym floor and sitting is certainly not compassionate."
The county tells KDKA it's focused on the front door of homelessness but needs to focus more on people exiting homelessness to get into permanent housing.
The only way they'll get vacancies at the shelters, like the new one downtown at second avenue commons, is for people to exit the homeless system and get back on their feet.