DAYTON — There are major changes on the way for the largest homeless shelter in Dayton.
News Center 7′s John Bedell spoke to St. Vincent de Paul leaders about the difficult decision it had to make about the Gettysburg Gateway for Men shelter,
For as long as the St. Vincent de Paul Society has been in Dayton, nearly 100 years, they’ve served the homeless.
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They opened the Gettysburg shelter for men 15 years ago this month.
“There has always been room at the inn for anyone who’s homeless. Always room for shelter, food, and clothing,” Michael Vanderburgh, executive director, St. Vincent de Paul Society said.
The view from Sky7 shows the largest homeless shelter in Dayton.
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It’s the metaphorical inn where there will soon be major changes.
“It’s tough. The difficult decision we had to make was to decide to cease operating the Gettysburg shelter for men on June 30 of 2025,” Vanderburgh said.
The decision was financial.
“We’ve experienced both great inflationary pressures and the disappearance of extraordinary government funding to help us through the pandemic,” Vanderburgh said.
He said the move directly impacts 30 employees and 250 men who are sheltered every night.
The City of Dayton owns the building and St. Vincent de Paul said it will work with the city and Montgomery County to possibly find another provider for the facility.
Over the next seven months, Vanderburgh said they’ll have community meetings to talk about what’s next.
He said the St. Vincent de Paul Society will still be there for people in need in Dayton — just in a different way.
“St. Vincent has always been there in everyone’s memory and we always will be there going forward. But we have to serve differently,” Vanderburgh said.
St. Vincent de Paul will still operate its women and families shelter in Dayton and continue serving homeless men at the DePaul Center downtown.
The City of Dayton released a statement that said in part they will work diligently with all partners to make sure there’s a seamless transition and uninterrupted services for the men who depend on this shelter.
You can read the entire statement from the City of Dayton below.
The City of Dayton was officially notified this week by St. Vincent de Paul that its board has decided to stop operating the Gateway Homeless Shelter for Men, effective June 30, 2025. The shelter is located at 1921 S. Gettysburg Ave.
"I am deeply disappointed with St. Vincent de Paul’s decision to no longer operate at the Gateway Homeless Shelter for Men," said Dayton Mayor Jeffrey Mims, Jr. "The City will work diligently with all partners to ensure a seamless transition and uninterrupted services for the men who depend on this shelter. Our commitment to supporting vulnerable populations remains steadfast, as ensuring the well-being and stability of our community is our top priority."
Over the past several months, the City of Dayton has collaborated with Montgomery County and St. Vincent de Paul leadership to identify potential solutions to prevent this decision. Neither the City nor the County has reduced funding for shelter operations. From 2016-2024, the City provided over $3 million dollars of its emergency shelter grant to St. Vincent de Paul and an additional $3 million of its one time federal COVID relief fund for addressing homelessness. The City also offered to bring in independent consultants to review the current funding structure and program model to explore alternative options.
"The City of Dayton is unwavering in its commitment to providing emergency shelter services 24/7, 365 days a year," said Dayton City Manager Shelley Dickstein. "We are working closely with Montgomery County and the Dayton-Kettering-Montgomery County Continuum of Care to ensure a smooth transition between providers at the Gateway Homeless Shelter for Men, with no interruption in services for those who depend on this critical support. Additionally, there will be no changes in services or providers at the Women and Families Shelter."
The City owns the Gateway Homeless Shelter for Men property and has leased the facility to County Corp since 2009. County Corp subsequently subleases the space to St. Vincent de Paul for shelter operations. This leasing arrangement will continue with a new provider, to be selected through an open and competitive Request for Proposals (RFP) process.
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