Smithfield Street Shelter to close for good Wednesday morning

PITTSBURGH — The Smithfield Street Shelter opened for the last time Tuesday night. County leaders are sticking to their plan to close its doors for good. This is a move local advocates said could displace hundreds.

“Right now, there’s just not enough beds for people who are unhoused,” said Miracle Jones, the director of policy advocacy for 1 Hood Media.

On any given day in front of the Smithfield Street Shelter, people wait on the steps, lie on blankets, and sit amongst scattered trash and discarded needles until the doors open at 7 p.m.

Advocates said the emergency shelter provides a meal and a place to stay for about 100 people a night without any requirements.

“Some shelters require you to have paperwork. Some shelters require you to have a referral, some require that you come at a certain time, you cannot leave,” Jones explained.

But county officials said those requirements are necessary to get people long-term help.

“There is the opportunity for more wrap-around services, so when they find themselves in those new locations, we can do a better job of connecting them to the rest of the system,” said Erin Dalton, director of the Department of Human Services.

The county has a list of 20 alternative shelters and has worked to make 121 beds immediately available at four:

• Second Avenue Commons in Downtown
• Light of Life Rescue in the Northside
• East End Cooperative Ministries in the East End
• Unity Recovery in the South Side

“We have been working with the Pittsburgh Downtown Partners on a van system that can get people around town,” Dalton said.

But with so many services Downtown, advocates said it presents yet another barrier. They want the county to keep looking for more accessible options.

“The answer is not just to push people away. We have to address these issues, or we are going to be right back here in two years, three years, four years,” Jones said.

Tuesday is the final night for the Smithfield Shelter. Wednesday at 7 a.m., it will close its doors for good.

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