Crowded Homeless Shelter Looking for New Home
Residents call it “the last house on the block.” Raymond Johnson has been homeless for about a year and half, and he says the Firehouse Shelter is the only place he goes. They help him with housing and substance abuse treatment. “And they also helped me find some help with my mental health issues,” Johnson continues. “So I can get my pills without having to pay for them, because my meds are kind of expensive. One bottle of pills is over $300.”
Johnson has four children and without support from the Firehouse Shelter he wouldn’t be able to provide the financial assistance they need, he says.
The Firehouse Shelter serves thousands of homeless people in Birmingham like Johnson and has been a staple to the community since 1983, but they’ve outgrown their home on Third Ave. N. and are working on moving to a bigger facility.
“We’re really looking for a building to restore dignity and respect to the homeless in Birmingham,” says Anne Wright, executive director of the shelter.
Lessie Dingler,WBHM
This room holds the Firehouse Shelter’s clothes donations.
According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development there are more than 1,100 homeless people in the Birmingham metro area on any given night. The Firehouse Shelter is serving close to 4,000 a year and the building has become unsafe according to Wright. She says two years ago a woman ran a red light in front of the shelter and hit four clients that were standing on the sidewalk.
The new building on Second Ave. N. is built entirely around a courtyard so clients can enjoy the outdoors in privacy and safety. The facility will also feature a library, expanded dormitories, meditation space, and a chapel for people to attend worship.
“We’re really looking at the needs of Birmingha, and working to identify it and meet those needs in a compassionate cost effective way,” Wright adds.
Residents and Firehouse staff hope the new $7.8 million shelter will relieve overcrowding, but Wright says it’s going to be a long journey. It’s a decade-long project, and they are only about two years in.
How this teen fled Russian occupation to become an unassuming hero in Ukraine
An 18-year-old from Russian-occupied Luhansk tells NPR how and why he escaped to Kyiv.
Lady Gaga rocks Copacabana Beach with a free concert for more than 2 million fans
"Tonight, we're making history. (...) Thank you for making history with me," Lady Gaga told a screaming crowd.
Mexico’s president says she rejected Trump’s plan to send US troops across the border
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Saturday that U.S. President Donald Trump proposed sending American troops into Mexico to help her administration fight drug trafficking but she rejected it.
Sweeping cuts hit NEA after Trump administration calls to eliminate the agency
Hours after the Trump administration proposed eliminating the National Endowment for the Arts from next year's federal budget, hundreds of arts groups in the U.S. were told their grants were canceled.
The Vatican installs chimney to signal the selection of the next pope
Ahead of the election of the next pope, a chimney was installed atop the Sistine Chapel on Friday, which will help notify the public of the 267th pope.
Sovereignty beats out favorite Journalism to win the Kentucky Derby
The victory hands Venezuelan jockey Junior Alvarado his first career win in the Kentucky Derby. Sovereignty's trainer, Bill Mott, has won the Kentucky Derby once before.
