A St. Paul emergency homeless shelter that’s been searching for its own new home for months announced it’s found one in a church near the intersection of Snelling and University avenues.
Downtown St. Paul overnight homeless shelter to move to University and Snelling area
The Safe Space shelter, currently operating in downtown St. Paul, announced in May that it would not move to St. Anthony Park after Luther Seminary pulled out of lease negotiations.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
October 3, 2024 at 3:14PM
Safe Space Shelter, an emergency overnight shelter operated by nonprofit Model Cities in partnership with Ramsey County, announced in a news release Wednesday it will open at Central Baptist Church, 420 N. Roy St. in St. Paul, in November.
“We are incredibly grateful for the partnership with Central Baptist Church,” Kizzy Downie, the CEO of Model Cities, said in the release. “Their support has been instrumental in making this relocation possible. This collaboration embodies the strength of community and shared compassion for our fellow neighbors experiencing crisis.”
The Safe Space Shelter is currently located in Government Center East, an aging downtown St. Paul facility that Ramsey County owns and plans to sell. The shelter began looking for a new space in 2023.
The shelter was slated to move to a building at the Luther Seminary campus in St. Anthony Park, but the plan was canceled in May when Luther Seminary backed out, citing neighborhood opposition. The shelter had temporarily leased space at the seminary in the past.
Central Baptist has been operating winter warming space for people in need. In the news release, Craig Dahl, the church’s pastor, said the congregation had expressed interest in expanding emergency shelter services.
“Our mission calls us to serve those in need, and this collaboration is another way we can directly support individuals experiencing homelessness. Together, we can help restore hope and dignity to those who need it most,” Dahl said.
In a statement, the county praised the announcement as a demonstration of the power of community-driven solutions.
“We look forward to seeing the positive impact these two organizations will have on those in need,” the statement said.
The referral-based shelter is open from 10 p.m. to 9 a.m., and reservations for each night’s stay are needed. At Central Baptist, Safe Space plans to provide 25 overnight beds for women initially. Ultimately, Model Cities hopes to have 64 beds and serve all.
Downie told the Star Tribune on Thursday that people in need can make a reservation themselves or be referred to the Safe Space overnight shelter.
People who arrive with a reservation at Safe Space when it opens are guaranteed a bed, preventing them from having to show up and wonder if they’ll be able to stay, Downie said. She said Ramsey County will help transport people to and from Safe Space.
In the morning, most people who stay at Safe Space typically go to work or return to other services, such as Higher Ground downtown, Downie said.
Safe Space will close its downtown location Nov. 3 and open at Central Baptist Nov. 4. Its initial lease is for three years, Downie said.
St. Paul writer Kao Kalia Yang has won four Minnesota Book Awards and was recognized by the Guggenheim Foundation and National Endowment for the Arts.
