Oaks Homeless Shelter is scheduled to reopen March 13. The announcement was made in a video posted Monday afternoon on the Oaks of Righteousness/Oaks Village Facebook page by Pastor Heather Boone of Oaks of Righteousness Christian Ministries and Chelsea MacAdam, Oaks community outreach director.

The shelter closed Feb. 23 with no resolution to address what Boone has said is a lack of mental health services and support.

Regardless of the closing, Boone and her staff continued to get calls from people that were homeless and needed assistance. Fielding phone calls, getting dead ends and handing out brochures with contact information was not solving the homeless problem or ceasing the calls from coming in.

Prior to closing, people staying at the shelter were relocated to hotels and provided mental health services by the Monroe Community Mental Health Authority. It’s a service Boone said she is hopeful will continue for clients once the shelter reopens.

Despite being tired of “screaming and yelling” for mental health services and support, Boone said she and and her staff will continue to help the homeless.

“We got together … our shelter staff and our leaders and we just thought about where we were and what we are called to do,” Boone said in the video.

Oaks staff admits they are tired and feel unsupported but they want to see the shelter reopen so that people looking for shelter have a place to go.

However, there will be some changes along with a few ground rules. The facility does not currently offer accessibility for people in wheelchairs, on crutches or using walkers so there will be limits to the clients they can take.

There will be issues in getting the shelter back up and running, like addressing building projects. Families, organizations and businesses in the community are being asked to help serve dinner at the shelter.

As the staff cleans the shelter in preparation to reopen, they are dealing with concerns like needing food for the pantry and a leaking roof.

Boone is prayerful she can get more volunteers, mentors and churches involved in addition to the resources and finances needed to continue offering services at the shelter.  

“We know that there’s a need and we don’t want to see these people out in the street,” Boone said.

Both Boone and MacAdam contend the need for mental health services and support is still an issue that will remain at the forefront.

Following the video, Oaks of Righteousness/Oaks Village posted this comment, “We are thankful for you all. This community of believers is what reminds us that God has not forgotten His people! He has big plans for Oaks!”

The video along with an Amazon donation list is posted on Oaks’ Facebook page, www.facebook.com/OaksOfRighteousnessChristianChurch. Some of the items listed include cotton bandages, mattress protectors, diapers, nonperishable food items and cleaning products.