GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- The only emergency overnight shelter for women in Grand Rapids is seeing an increase in the number of senior women seeking emergency shelter.
When the Degage Ministries' organization for the homeless broke ground to expand its downtown campus two years ago, only 33 women were taking shelter at Degage. Now, it is accommodating nearly 100 women each night. And about one-third of those are women over the age of 55.
Degage Ministries Executive Director Thelma Ensink says they're using every inch of available space for overnight shelter.
“The increase in seniors in emergency shelter means that we are tending to all the issues you would expect when serving people who are more physically fragile: a need for mobility aids, increased risk of falling, and more personal and hygiene care support,” Ensink said in a news release.
Dégagé’ will open a Wellness Center in February, allowing the shelter to offer more support for people with health issues. It will allow people to connect better with medical professionals and rest after surgery or illness, which Ensink says is an important service, especially for older guests.
"When someone is recovering from illness or when they need to have surgery, they need a safe place to recover," Ensink told WOOD Radio. "And you and I can go to home to our beds and be comfortable. But for somebody who's experiencing homelessness, that can be a life-threatening situation."
Ensink said it is always tough to be homeless.
"But when you are a senior experiencing that, that's just incredibly difficult. So, we at Degage have had to adjust to accommodate those needs," she said. "When we're older, we can fall more easily, we need more help with mobility, we need more help with just our daily tasks."
Since the expansion, the women have been sleeping in new bunkbeds in the Open Door Women's Shelter.
However, capacity remains an issue.
“It’s been tough,” Senior Program Director Julie Kendrick said. “We are using every single inch of available space for overnight shelter. We are all too aware of the fact that, if we turn someone away, they will be sleeping in the cold, so we find more room. We buy more beds. We figure it out.”
Organization leaders have determined the rise in homelessness is being fueled by a massive increase in evictions, pandemic-related mental health crises, and current economic conditions, among other things.
Dégagé welcomes financial donation to help support the shelter’s needs. The Open Door program also accepts donations of toiletry and personal care items such as shampoo, body wash, and sanitary products. Learn more on the Degage website.
### [Photo provided by Degage Ministries]