"Since it opened, it was already full." Former IPS school overflow shelter operating off waitlist

Every year Holy Family Shelter program director Breanna Klink fields thousands of calls from individuals and families looking for shelter.

“We take about 30,000 calls a year that we can't serve because we don't have space,” Klink said.

She currently has more than 40 families on her organization's waitlist waiting for space to become available.

So when former IPS School 68 was opened last month as an overflow family shelter, Klink said the additional space helped increase critically needed capacity.

“Having the family shelter, that IPS school 68, is really important, but there is such a need even beyond that,” she said.

The shelter wasn’t in this year’s initial winter contingency plan. The city decided to open the school in December for families following warnings from Wheeler Mission that it would not be able to accommodate families this winter.

The school was previously used as a shelter in 2021. It can house between 34 to 40 families according to the city.

During the winter weather press conference, Saturday, January 4,  city officials said there was space available at the family shelter. A press release noted 26 families were at the moment utilizing the space.

When asked about word that the space was at capacity, the city’s Director of Homelessness and Eviction Prevention Andrew Merkley said it was not full.

“Today, that facility does have beds for families with children,” Merkley said.

But when speaking with people helping families find shelter, they said the space has been filled up since day one.

“Family shelter is a huge barrier for us right now,” said Niki Wattson, the street outreach coordinator with Horizon House. “The city did facilitate the IPS for about 40 families, but that's full, and I know that we already have a waiting list for that.”

With demand far outweighing shelter space, those working with families are collaborating and coordinating efforts to get families into shelters or housing as quickly as possible.

Klink said she shares information with HealthNet’s Homeless Intervention Program, also known as HIP, who manages the waitlist for the former IPS school family shelter.

“We share our waitlist with them, and they have actually been reaching out to the families on our waitlist, and if those families are interested, HIP will put them on the waitlist to get into the IPS School 68. So that has been really helpful,” Klink said.

Most children that Holy Family Shelter serves are under the age of nine. Klink said finding shelter and housing is critical for a child’s future.

“If we don't break the cycle when they're kids, they're going to grow up and they're going to get back in the homeless system again. So it's just so vital that resources and more space becomes available for these families,” she said.

Contact WFYI All Things Considered newscaster and reporter Samantha Horton at shorton@wfyi.org.