Communication continues with Oaks Village and the City of Monroe about the future of the Oaks Village Homeless Shelter.
The shelter was shut down on March 20, due to severe life-safety and building code violations found during a city inspection. The emergency closure displaced more than 40 residents and Oaks will be required to make significant renovations, including ADA compliance and fire safety upgrades, before it can legally reopen.
“Working together with the city has been a huge plus,” said Garry Moore, Oaks Village’s executive director. “The architectural plans are close to 90% done. We are finalizing a couple of things on those. The city has collaborated on a lot of things, and they are happy with the progress we’ve made and are supportive of the path we are on at this moment.”
Moore said Oaks is continuing to get more quotes and estimates on different projects including smaller items like getting fire rated doors, updating windows and work to the building’s exterior brick.
“We know these are going to come with some significant funding needs and support behind them,” added Chelsea Wade, executive outreach director for the Oaks Village Homeless Shelter. “We did adjust our GoFundMe to a more realistic number based on what we are seeing. We have a better idea now than we did three months ago.”
As of Friday, Aug. 7, $23,539 has been raised in donations. The overall goal is $75,000.
Wade posted this update, “We wanted to share a brief update on the progress toward reopening our shelter facility. While much of the work taking place right now is happening behind the scenes, important steps continue to move the project forward. Our team is actively working through planning, preparation, and facility improvements to ensure the shelter is safe, welcoming, and ready to serve our community once reopening is possible.
“What we once were told would cost close to $500k is now prayerfully looking closer to $65-75,000! Which means we are LOWERING our GoFundMe goal. This is only possible because of donations of labor, materials, quotes, and many more helping hands.”
Mark Cochran, interim city manager for Monroe, said in a written statement ongoing engagement with Oaks Village has continued through regularly scheduled conversations with staff and board leadership.
“These discussions focus on the work needed to move the shelter forward toward its stated goal of safely reopening. We appreciate their collaborative approach and engagement with the design, code and safety professionals,” Cochran said. “We are committed to working through the necessary steps, including required plan review and permitting, while maintaining open communication throughout the process.”
— Contact reporter Lisa Vidaurri-Bowling at lvidaurribowling@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Oaks Village shelter works with city officials to fix safety violations
Reporting by Lisa Vidaurri Bowling, The Monroe News / The Monroe News
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By Lisa Vidaurri Bowling, The Monroe News | USA TODAY Network
