Temporary closure to repaint, fix floors

The City Welfare Mission’s homeless shelter will be temporarily closed for renovations starting on Aug. 1.

“We have to do some painting, replacement of some flooring, and we really haven’t gotten in there to look around to see everything we need to do,” said pastor and director Jeff Cremeans. “There is just some routine maintenance that needs to be done that hasn’t been done.”

He said the last time they renovated was in either 1999 or 2000.

“We really haven’t done any updates since then,” Cremeans said.

The closure is just temporary until the renovations are done and they are letting people know ahead of the Aug. 1 closure so their clients can find other housing.

The temporary closure is just for the shelter.

“We regret we have to close it for this month, but we look forward to getting it all spruced up,” Cremeans said.

They decided to do the renovations in August, because the weather is warm and the need is less urgent than in the winter months.

“We are hoping to be reopened Sept. 1,” Cremeans said. “But we are not exactly sure, but that is our goal. It just depends on what we have to do.”

“It doesn’t affect anything else we are doing– the clothing, the furniture, our meals,” Cremeans said. “Nothing else is affected.”

Cremeans isn’t sure how old the building is. It had been the Cabana Club, but after voters made that precinct dry, the owners decided to sell the building. The mission bought it in the 1980s.

The shelter has room for 22 people a night and provides about 3,000 nights of lodging every year.

“It gets a lot of use,” Cremeans said.

The renovations will be done with volunteers and is being paid for by the shelter’s general fund.

The shelter is located at 701 N. Fifth St.