BEMIDJI-When the Nameless Coalition for the Homeless began meeting in fall 2013 , their goal was to have a homeless shelter before snowfall.
Two years later, Bemidji saw its first snowfall of the season Wednesday, and construction on The Wolfe Center will not be ready for what members had hoped would be an opening today.
Nameless Coalition chairman Reed Olson said pending construction, a Dec. 1 opening is planned.
This past Monday, Olson and Howie Zetah walked around an unfinished grey-brick foundation added to the back of the former Headwaters Unitarian Universalist Fellowship church building at the intersection of Sixth Street and America Avenue Northwest.
Zetah, owner of Zetah Construction, has donated his time to complete The Wolfe Center.
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"It's happening in stages," Olson said. "We are getting a lot of contractors and subcontractors working for free so we're working around their schedules."
The Wolfe Center is named after past Nameless Coalition chair Mike Bredon's father, James Wolfe Bredon, who suffered from alcoholism. James Bredon died in December 2013, before a site for a center was selected.
"We'd like to get a local artist to create a sign," said Nameless Coalition member Sandy Hennum. The Headwaters Unitarian Universalist Fellowship sign has been taken down. Two wooden posts stand barren in front of the building.
The coalition purchased the property at 522 America Ave. Northwest for $90,000 after a permit and zone variance were approved by the Greater Bemidji Area Joint Planning Board in August. Once complete, the seasonal overnight facility will be able to house up to 16 people. The target clientele is chronic inebriate men, but there will be a space for up to two women. Restrooms, showers and laundry facilities will be available, but The Wolfe Center is simply designed to be a place for people to sleep and stay warm during cold weather months.
"We're here to save lives," said Nameless Coalition member Stacey Lussier.
An onsite manager and assistant will be hired to oversee nighttime operations and monitor a lockbox type storage unit where people can store personal items and alcohol.
The Nameless Coalition's intention is to allow people to come to The Wolfe Center whether they are sober or intoxicated and get a night's sleep. Alcohol can't be consumed on the property but will be returned on checkout in the morning. Hours of operation will be from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m.
An open space inside the building awaits completion of flooring, windows, paint, beds, wiring, venting, bathrooms and the laundry area. As the completion date nears, the coalition will begin accepting donations and updates will be posted on its Facebook page .
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People with a construction background can volunteer by contacting Olson at reedjolson@yahoo.com . Monetary donations can be sent to the Nameless Coalition for the Homeless, Box 353, Bemidji, MN 56619.
"We're so struck by the amount of community support we have seen," Olson said.
The coalition did not receive unanimous support from the community, however. In August, the coalition and the Greater Bemidji Area Joint Planning Board were served a summons and complaint in a civil action lawsuit from the law firm Fuller, Wallner, Cayko, Pederson and Huseby, Ltd. The firm raised opposition to the shelter operating next door to its offices on the 500 block of America Avenue, as well as the process in which permits were approved. The lawsuit is pending.
"As a committee we're focusing on the positive and moving forward," Hennum said.
"We're committed and will continue to be a good neighbor," said Nameless Coalition Treasurer Kristi Miller.
Exploring alternatives
In the past two years, the nonprofit coalition scouted Bemidji for potential shelter sites, including city-owned property near the old railroad corridor, a house owned by the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe and the old T Juan's restaurant on the 300 block of Park Avenue before settling on the former Headwaters Unitarian Universalist Fellowship building.
Turns out, another group was eyeing the railroad property. Center City Housing out of Duluth has been talking with the city of Bemidji and Beltrami County about bringing a facility here to serve the chronic inebriate population. In June, the city entered into a property agreement with CCH, passing two draft resolutions involving the sale of a city-owned tract of land. The property is a 2.5 acre lot located between Park Avenue Northwest and Irvine Avenue Northwest near the former Soo Line Rail Corridor on Third Street.
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CCH is a housing development and management company whose properties include low-income housing, supportive housing and living facilities that allow for consumption of alcohol. CCH is planning a 60-unit housing development for Bemidji.
In 2014, CCH released a needs assessment study of the Bemidji area. Their findings showed a great need for housing for the chronic inebriate population. Survey results for the 12-county northwest region, which includes Beltrami County, showed homelessness grew 170 percent from 2009 to 2012. There were 666 people identified as homeless in 2012; 37 of those people were chronic inebriates who lived in Bemidji.
Until The Wolfe Center and the CCH property are up and running, the Peoples Church at 824 America Ave. is the only place in Bemidji where chronic inebriates can stay. The Peoples Church can accommodate about 15 people and allows anyone sober or under the influence of alcohol to stay the night and as long as they do not cause a disturbance. Drugs and alcohol are not permitted inside the building, which is staffed overnight.
The Peoples Church has tried to expand in size to aid Bemidji's homeless population but it is limited by its small corner lot. The church, which was part of early discussions with the Nameless Coalition, in 2014 changed its practice of being open overnights only in cold months to opening during the summer. Peoples Church has been working on increasing staffing and services.
Homeless people who remain sober can seek shelter from the Servants of Shelter program, (218) 444-1380, or Village of Hope, (218) 751-0722. Village of Hope is a shelter for families and the Servants of Shelter program runs in winter months operating out of volunteer churches. Homeless youth can contact Evergreen Youth & Family Services at (218) 751-4332.
