MORGANTOWN — Jessica Thompson, shelter director for Catholic Charities’ Grace Shelter in Hazel’s House of Hope, estimates the shelter likely turns away an average of 20 individuals monthly.
If and when a bed does open up, it’s claimed within an hour or two.
It’s been this way since before Catholic Charities took over the shelter from Bartlett House and began accepting new intakes in mid-October.
It’s been worse in recent weeks, since a determination from the fire marshal’s office cut the shelter’s capacity from 28 to 19 beds.
In a nutshell, the 28-bed capacity was calculated using square-footage that was subsequently converted into office space prior to Catholic Charities’ arrival. That space was removed from the equation during the most recent review.
“I don’t have enough beds. Going from 28 beds to 19 beds – it hurt,” Thompson told Morgantown City Council in an update days before the implementation of the city’s public camping ban makes it illegal to “camp” or have items like sleeping bags, blankets or tents on public property.
In response to the bed reduction, Catholic Charities is looking to put an additional 15 “overnight only” beds in the former Hope Hill Sobering Center space it operated as a cold weather shelter this past winter.
Thompson estimates doing so would add $150,000 to the shelter’s $500,000 budget, $300,000 of which came by way of equal $150,000 allocations from the city and county in the 2025 fiscal year. Each has initially budgeted $125,000 for the shelter in the 2026 fiscal year, which begins July 1.
But capacity isn’t the only reason Thompson finds herself turning away potential clients.
The shelter doesn’t admit anyone under the age of 18.
“It probably is the hardest thing for me to face. I get calls from the schools’ social workers that they have a family sleeping in their car, and I can’t help them. Scott’s Place in Fairmont has one family room,” Thompson said, later explaining, “It hurts every time I get a call and I say I can’t provide for families.”
There are a couple primary reasons why the shelter doesn’t accept youths.
“All the grants have been written for only adults. I have addressed this with the CEO. That’s how the prior funding was, so when we took over, we just incorporated the same,” Thompson said.
Further, Grace Shelter is one of only a few shelters in West Virginia that accepts sex offenders.
“I don’t get many and we try to move them out relatively quickly, but at one point, I had three at one time,” Thompson said. “I don’t have any now.”
Since Catholic Charities took over operation of the space, it has served 124 individuals, including 35 who were moved into a permanent housing situation and 26 who received assistance in obtaining a full set of identification documents.
“We’ve seen a huge increase in the age of individuals that come into the shelters. The majority are over the age of 50. I always like to point that out,” Thompson said. “I think the general conception is that a typical homeless individual … are younger to middle age, and we’re not really seeing that a whole lot.”
She said roughly 50% of those served are from Monongalia County based on their last known address. Roughly 87% are from West Virginia.
In addition to the shelter, Catholic Charities also operates five transitional apartments – Grace Housing – on the third floor of Hazel’s House of Hope.
Much like shelter space, there’s way more need than opportunity.
Going forward, both Catholic Charities and Morgantown Community Resources – landlord and facilitator of the HHH facility – are seeking grants to rehabilitate space in the former hotel into 26 additional apartment spaces.
“There’s just not enough of that here in this area,” Thompson said.
