Catholic Charities is pleased to announce the opening of a temporary dormitory-style shelter at 160 High Street in Elmira. The new shelter will be able to house up to 47 single individuals. Families experiencing homelessness will continue to be housed in local motels.
Due to the support of the City of Elmira, Chemung County, and the State of New York, cubicle-style rooms have been installed. Catholic Charities will be working with the Department of Social Services to place individuals in the temporary shelter and provide the needed services. Showers and laundry services are provided on-site as well as limited storage for each individual that stays at the shelter.
Catholic Charities’ staff will operate the shelter from 4:00 pm until 8:00 am, Monday through Friday. On the weekend, the shelter will be open from 2:00 pm until 10:00 am. Residents will receive breakfast and dinner each day.
Last year, 1,357 distinct individuals experiencing homelessness received services in Chemung County (317 individuals were under the age of 18). Nancy Koons, Executive Director for Catholic Charities states,
“We are thrilled to be able to open the dorm-style shelter. This will enable us to meet the needs of the individuals we serve more directly by addressing their root causes of homelessness and removing barriers on their journey out of poverty and into permanent housing.”
For community members interested in helping, Catholic Charities is specifically in need of grocery gift cards and bus tokens. Donations may be mailed in or brought to Catholic Charities’ Samaritan Center (380 S Main St, Elmira, NY), Monday-Friday from 8:30 am—4:30 pm. Volunteers are also needed to serve dinner each evening. Please visit www.CatholicCharitiesCS.org for more information or to sign up for a volunteer shift.