Grace Shelter director details intake, capacity and housing outcomes; asks for 15 overnight beds

Morgantown — Jessica Thompson, director of Grace Shelter (operating under Catholic Charities West Virginia), briefed the City Council Committee of the Whole May 27 on the shelter’s operations since it assumed services from Bartlett House.

Thompson said the shelter formally took over operations Sept. 1, 2024, opened intakes Oct. 17 and has served 124 distinct individuals (not counting winter-warming shelter users). Of those, she said 12 were veterans, 24 were classified as chronically homeless (12 or more months), eight were youth and she has housed 35 people in permanent housing. Thompson told council staff and members that about half of clients list a last known address in a single county and that 13% of clients are from out-of-state (Pennsylvania, Ohio, Virginia, Texas and Maryland were cited).

Capacity and operations: Thompson said the shelter now operates 19 permanent beds (down from a prior 28) and runs “100% almost every day,” frequently turning away people. She told the council the shelter records roughly 20 turnaways per month. The shelter enforces a 9 p.m. bed count (not a curfew), uses a two-hour “cool off” period for many behavioral incidents and retains beds while clients are temporarily off-site for short periods. She described disciplinary policies, a small number of trespass actions and one active protective order against a person who continued to appear near the facility.

Services and partnerships: The shelter provides case coordination and partner referrals; Thompson named HealthRight, Valley, Chestnut and WVU services (including the Healthy Minds Mobile Unit) as regular partners. Staff help clients obtain identification documents (26 people assisted with full IDs), arrange recovery and treatment placements, and provide transitional apartments (five full units on the third floor used as six-month transitional housing). Thompson said the shelter helps clients with bus tickets, basic auto repairs (partnering with Gearhead Garage at Emtek) and other supports.

Requested expansion and costs: Thompson said the shelter hopes to operate an additional 15 overnight-only beds in the building’s first-floor space, which previously housed the winter warming shelter. She described those beds as “triage” — short-stay, night-only shelter access with daytime services in the existing day room. Thompson said the shelter’s operating budget for Grace is approximately $500,000 and that increasing overnight capacity would primarily add utility and lease costs; she said, “I’m estimating another hundred and 50 per year if we do the just the overnight shelter aspect.” Thompson also said hiring one more staff member (to convert part-time to full-time) would be needed to support the expansion.

Constraints and scope: Thompson said the shelter does not provide on-site medical, substance-use treatment or full mental-health services and relies on partner agencies for those needs. She noted the facility is one of a few in the state that accepts certain justice-involved individuals and that intake screening excludes people unable to manage stairs or meet basic safety requirements because much of the building lacks elevator backup.

Council response: Council members asked about intake criteria, partnerships, bed counts and possible grant funding to expand capacity. Thompson said she has applied for West Virginia Housing Development Fund and Federal Home Loan Bank grants to rehab portions of the building into transitional apartments; she said a donation program and local partners help with linens, cleaning and supplies.

Ending: Thompson invited councilors and staff to tour the shelter, reiterated that demand exceeds capacity, and requested the council keep communication open about potential support or partnerships.