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TARPON SPRINGS — Officials thought they had an ideal substitute when a longtime cold-night shelter for the homeless became unavailable.
But the alternative — an old city firehouse — fell through.
Now a new spot has been found.
St. Timothy Lutheran Church at 812 E Tarpon Ave will take in those needing a warm place, a meal and a floor mat on nights when the temperature drops to 40 degrees or lower.
"It's a church that has a long history of serving the needy in the community," said Henry Wellman, Tarpon Springs' cold-night shelter coordinator. "They (the homeless) know where it is, they feel comfortable at St. Timothy. It's a great thing they have offered to do for this coming year."
Wellman, who works under the Pinellas County Coalition for the Homeless, said he has worked in the volunteer position for four years and that the need keeps growing every year.
Last winter, the average number of people using Tarpon Springs' cold-night shelter jumped from 20 to the mid 40s, said Michael Amidei, the homeless coalition's cold-night shelter coordinator for Pinellas County. The people tend to be older, and 80 percent are men.
For the last 23 years, First United Methodist Church was the area's cold-night shelter, but due to structural problems with its building, the church had to stop offering the service.
Beginning Nov. 15, about two weeks earlier than normal in anticipation of an early cold snap, St. Timothy will open whenever the temperature reaches 40 degrees or lower.
St. Timothy won't be able to open until 9 p.m., which is three hours later than a typical 6 p.m. start for the cold night shelter. Amidei is still trying to figure out what to do with the people during those three hours.
Amidei said he wasn't aware that St. Timothy had decided to take the reins. He was still in the process of trying to get the city's old fire station at 325 E Lemon St. up and ready to house the homeless. Amidei toured the facility with the City Manager Mark LeCouris a few weeks ago.
"You are the first person to mention that to me," Amidei said. "Seems like they would have communicated that with me since I'm the person in charge with getting people in line."
Tarpon Springs Mayor Beverley Billiris said the old fire station was not an option because it has black mold.
"There is some serious health risk with the fire station and it's definitely not a consideration," Billiris said. "The health issues of that building poses another type of liability for the city."
Amidei said he thought the mold could be cleaned up.
Some questioned why the old fire station was made an option at all considering the mold and the fact that voters approved its sale in March 2006. In addition, the city is getting ready to spend close to $500,000 in a revitalization effort in that area.
As part of that effort, city commissioners will complete about a 20-member focus group with five at-large members at its regularly scheduled meeting tonight. The focus group, consisting of city leaders and officials, will have its first meeting Oct. 13 and discuss North Safford Avenue and Lemon Street streetscape improvements.
Bill Vinson, a Tarpon Springs attorney with a downtown office, said there is no communication between the city and those who own downtown property.
"I don't think they do a good job of communicating with anyone in the city about what they are doing," Vinson said. "I'm not saying they haven't tried, but they are not very effective with dealing with business owners."
While the location for the shelter appears set for this year, it remains unclear if St. Timothy will be the permanent site.
"My dream is to have a building of our own," Wellman said. "No one has said this (St. Timothy) is only for this year and don't expect it to happen again. As far as I know, we haven't had any time limits placed on it."
Demorris A. Lee can be reached at (727) 445-4174 or dalee@sptimes.com.
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