Homeless shelter at Smithfield United Church of Christ to close

Ally Cunha has “no clue” where she’ll stay after Tuesday night.

For the last several weeks, the 18-year-old has been sleeping at the Smithfield United Church of Christ shelter. The shelter was scheduled to close on Tuesday.

“It’s difficult, but we’ll figure it out,” she said as she sat outside the shelter with several others who had been staying there.

Cunha said she’d only found out that the shelter was closing Monday night. She had not yet been in contact with any local officials to explore other options.

The Smithfield Street shelter in Downtown Pittsburgh typically operates as a winter shelter open only during the colder months. County officials in March announced it would remain open longer this year, but the county is closing it after Tuesday.

As of March, Department of Human Services officials said more than 100 people were staying there each night.

Representatives from DHS have been meeting with people staying at the shelter to develop housing plans for them, and signs have been posted to alert people of the closure, according to county spokeswoman Amie Downs.

Officials have identified about 125 people who have been staying at the shelter “more consistently” in recent months. The plan is to find spaces for each of those individuals at other shelters, officials said.

Living plans will be developed with each individual in an effort to find a spot that best fits each person’s needs, county officials said.

Allegheny County Department of Human Services Director Erin Dalton said DHS has made offers to move at least 125 people to other shelters from the Smithfield site. Not everyone has accepted those offers, she said, but “a lot of transitions have already been made.”

She did not offer a specific number of people who have been transitioned to other shelter options.

Dalton said DHS is offering transportation to other shelters for people who are unable to get there on their own.

Officials said they’re working to help people stay connected to services they’re already using. Many such services can be found at the nearby Second Avenue Commons Shelter, which offers an array of support ranging from laundry to medical care.

Dalton said most of the shelters in the DHS network are considered “low barrier” shelters, and officials are urging shelters to extend intakes and “be as welcoming as they can” during this transitional period for people staying at the Smithfield site.

She could not say how many people were expected to be at the Smithfield Shelter for its last night Tuesday. The number of people staying there changes day-to-day, she said. About half of the people who use the shelter stay no more than five nights, she said.

“As wonderful as the church has been as a space for people, the nice thing about some of the other facilities is people don’t have to leave during the day,” Dalton said, and some other facilities offer broader access to wraparound services.

Officials are working to ensure that everyone who needs shelter gets shelter, Dalton said, and DHS has expanded its system with overflow beds. They’re also working to help people find “positive exits from the system” in the form of more permanent affordable housing options.

“Our intention is to be able to get anyone who needs shelter,” Dalton said. “We’re continuing to build our shelter options with our partners.”

County officials said they also have expanded capacity at various shelters over the last month, and “there are additional projects in the works” which will be announced in the future.

It is unclear whether the Smithfield Street shelter will reopen next year during the winter. County officials said they will “evaluate what happens next winter later this year.”

Related:

• Homelessness is up in Allegheny County, official reports
• Officials seek beds for people displaced from Smithfield Shelter in Pittsburgh