When city officials were looking to create Ypsilanti’s first overnight homeless shelter, a local church stepped up. They will open their doors to those in need for the first time on Monday night.
St. Luke’s Episcopal Church is located on North Huron Street. The Reverend Beth Scriven is the church’s interim pastor. She says former city council member Brian Jones-Chance approached her about making their facilities available for an overnight shelter last fall. Her congregation of about 50 to 100 people were very supportive as it aligns with the church’s mission.
“Each church finds its own different ways to live out God’s call to us. To care for the most vulnerable, to serve those who are unhoused, who are poor. And no church can do everything. But we identified this as something we could do.”
The shelter will operate Monday through Thursday with as many as 20 beds available. The opening of the shelter comes at a crucial time as the unhoused population is on the rise in Washtenaw County.
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