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Saint Vincent de Paul to Construct Baton Rouge’s First Non-Congregate Shelter
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April 19, 2024The Society of St. Vincent de Paul will increase its capacity to bridge the gap in housing for hundreds of families in poverty though the construction of Baton Rouge’s first non-congregate and 24-hour shelter, according to Michael Acaldo, president and CEO of SVDP.
Baton Rouge Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome has approved $1 million of HOME American Rescue Plan funds for SVDP to construct the shelter. The funds will leverage an additional $5 million from the Louisiana Housing Corporation.
The concept of the new shelter is to allow families to stay together with children attending school as parents get back on their feet.
The new facility will help families with the burden of unaffordable housing, Acaldo said.
“Anyone paying rent right now knows that it’s a tremendous amount to pay,” he said.
The 18,000 square-foot facility, located at the corner of North Blvd. and Brice Ave., will be a two-story building with 32 rooms for a total of 128 beds, and appropriate community areas for eating and laundry services. Each room will be able to house a single adult or family of four. The shelter can host individuals and families with children, and have conjoining rooms to allow families with up to eight people to stay together.
“We will not only get people off the streets, but we’ll provide case management services and really make a difference in lives,” Acaldo said.
The most important outcome this program will achieve is to provide the program participants the services they need to exit the non-congregate shelter into affordable permanent housing, noted Acaldo.
The proposed shelter project will go before the council at a later date. SVDP is doing the environmental review on the property and taking other needed steps to put the non-profit in a position to move forward with the project, according to Acaldo.
For SVDP to carry out its mission of serving people in need through construction projects to support the impoverished, such as the non-congregate shelter, and its daily activities of feeding, sheltering, and providing life-sustaining prescription medications, the society relies not only grants and other financial assistance, but people’s generosity.
“The dollars come from people who care about people whom they want to give a hand up of hope,” said Acaldo.