That also means that even though 28 people can stay at the shelter overnight, half of them have to be awake.
Sam Engel, CEO of the homeless services nonprofit Rogue Retreat, which has been running the shelter, said this design had some hiccups and was hard for guests to understand.
"But then, simply, we had the opportunity to let 14 people sleep, or we had the opportunity to let 14 people sleep, and 14 other people come in, get warm, have a cup of coffee, a cup of tea, food, and then they could choose to stay or leave," he said. "And we saw the value in taking advantage of that."
Engel said preliminary numbers show Rogue Retreat got seven people into stable housing.
Rogue Retreat has been working with local partners to ensure people can receive services elsewhere once the shelter closes Tuesday at 9 a.m.
"People should sleep indoors if they want to, year-round, regardless of the weather conditions," Engel said. "We're worried about what people are going to do on the night of April 1 and beyond."
Ashland has a night lawn where people can camp overnight, as well as the OHRA Center, the only 24/7, year-round shelter in the city, and all 72 of its beds are consistently full, with an ongoing waitlist.
However, the city has set aside money for fire code renovations at 2200 Ashland St. so it can be used as a shelter. The timeline for the project hasn鈥檛 been determined.
The building is an approximately 3,000-square-foot commercial use office space and needs additional exits, smoke detectors and a sprinkler system, among other things.
It originally opened as a homeless shelter in fall 2023 when the state was under an emergency order. But last spring, Ashland City Council declined over $2 million in state funding to keep it open. Councilors argued there was no long-term plan for the space.
Since then, the city has struggled to figure out what to do with the building while searching for more shelter options for homeless residents.
Housing Program Specialist Linda Reid said a request for proposals for the renovations has been issued, and the city hopes to get started as soon as possible.
Ashland plans to use Community Development Block Grant funds for the project. Reid said the city has about $112,000 remaining from 2024 and anticipates receiving $105,000 in 2025.
While Reid said that money won't be enough to address everything the building needs, installing the sprinkler system is the priority.
Meanwhile, Ashland still doesn鈥檛 have a shelter for inclement weather, such as smoke or cold.
Emergency Management Coordinator Kelly Burns said the city doesn't have the money or capacity for that.
"We are potentially going to have a few more nights of cold weather in April," he said. "We're asking other community partners, maybe faith-based organizations, anybody that's a nonprofit that is willing to step up and maybe bridge that gap for us."
