Homeless Shelter Faces Closure

A Fulton homeless shelter is fighting for its future, as it faces shutting down next month. The Wiley House will be shutting down in October, unless it can raise about $4,000 before then. The home for single men and women serves about 20 people, or about 10 percent of Callaway County’s homeless population on any given night. Now the shelter’s director is asking for the community to step up and help out. “It’s going to be hard — I mean when our homeless guests learned about it, they obviously found it very shocking, you know because this is the last place for them to go… they don’t usually have another immediate option,” Our House Director Brad Shepard says. Federal grants for shelters like this one are drying up. Most grant money available goes to shelters for families. Right now, the Wiley House provides beds, food and laundry service through donations. “The irony is that we have actually seen an increase in financial donations from individuals and organizations, and we have had some other grant money awarded to us, but it still doesn’t close that gap that we have lost,” Shepard says. Despite the pending closure set for October 8, 2012, Shepard says the home will explore options to try to re-open its doors. Shepard says, “our goal is to still be able to house the homeless with this facility, it just may not be the same way that have in the past.” To make a donation to help save the shelter from closure, visit the link below.