Group finalizes purchase of shelter location
Design and renovation work to begin with plans to be open in winter 2022
The dream of opening a shelter to help area people get back on their feet after finding themselves homeless took a major step toward becoming reality this week.
Taylor County Supportive Housing officially purchased a building at 232 S. 4th Street in Medford which will be converted into use as a shelter. The large building is currently set up to be a three-plex, however it has been vacant for more than two years.
According to Jessica Mudgett, president of Taylor County Supportive Housing, the shelter, which will be known as Taylor House, has been a dream for the community for a long time. Mudgett said there remains a strong need for the shelter to deal with the county’s homeless population. Currently, short-term homelessness is handled through motel room vouchers.
While homelessness in rural areas such as Taylor County looks different than in more urban areas of the country, it presents a significant problem which is made worse by a shortage of affordable housing options. Mudgett noted that through her work in the Taylor County Housing Authority she has a number of employment recruiters who are willing to put individuals to work right away, if they can find stable housing for them.
Mudgett said that when it opens Taylor House will meet that need for the community. The building was purchased with community development block grant funds. Mudgett said these grant funds will also help with hiring a shelter manager and getting the facility renovated to meet all health and safety codes as well as addressing accessibility to the facility. Board member Mike Lindau said he sees the eventual opening of a shelter at the location as being a win not only for homeless individuals, but for the entire community and the neighbors as the building will no longer be vacant. In addition to its size, another selling point for the structure is that it has ample off-street parking opportunities. It also has a large yard which will help serve as a buffer between the shelter and its neighbors. The city previously granted a conditional use permit to operate a shelter at the location.
Plans call for renovating the entire building and having separate entrances for the upstairs and downstairs area with men and women separated. Men will be upstairs and women downstairs. The interior will be similar to a dormitory set-up with individual bedrooms that can be locked and shared kitchen and living spaces.
Following the purchase, Mudgett said the next step will be to hire an architect and put the renovation work out on bid as required by terms of the grant. Construction work will take place this fall and under terms of the grant funding, the shelter has to be open and providing services no later that February 28, 2022.
With the selection and purchase of a building completed, Mudgett said the group is turning its attention to hiring a manager who will take over much of the work of overseeing the project with input from the nonprofit board. The manager will also be working on preparing the policies and rules for the shelter. These policies have been something the county and city leaders have been seeking for some time, but because they would be specific to the eventual site chosen had been put on a back burner by the nonprofit group’s board.
In addition to serving as a shelter, the location will also include office space for the shelter manager. Those interested in donating toward the renovation of the building or supporting the project are invited to mail contributions to Taylor County Supportive Housing at PO Box 471, Medford. Individuals may also contact Mudgett at 715-748-1456.
