Shelter Operations
More Than Just a Bed
When some people think of homeless shelters, they assume it’s just a place for people who experience homelessness to sleep, to get off the street and rest their heads for the night. But St. Matthew’s House strives to do so much more through our shelters both in Naples and Immokalee. By providing holistic care for the individuals, they not only get food and shelter, but they receive hope and love and a sense of belonging.
Campbell Lodge
Our Naples shelter sure has grown since the days when it housed only 20 men in an old firehouse.
Now, Campbell Lodge, recently renovated over the past two years, houses over 100 men, women and children every night. Though it’s grown much over the years; the mission remains the same: to provide a hand-up to the less fortunate in our community.
Obviously, one of the major challenges over the last year has been the ongoing pandemic.
Kelsey Couture, Shelter Manager at Campbell Lodge, said in the past year they’ve seen an increase in elderly and disabled individuals needing housing, more women seeking shelter from domestic violence situations and a rise in opioid cases.
“Each individual admitted to Campbell Lodge encounters different barriers and individual challenges on the road to self-sufficiency,” Kelsey said. The goal is to meet them right where they are and let them know they’re not alone.
It was a hard year for staff and residents alike, but despite the tough times, Campbell Lodge has seen some positive changes to both the facilities and the programs.
Perhaps the most notable are the completion of the Intact Family Room and the updated family program. The private family room with an en-suite bathroom allows for an intact family to stay housed together whether it’s a single parent with children or multiple children within a family, and the enhanced family program now includes parenting classes, budgeting classes, family outings and childcare assistance.
“Prior to this new addition, we didn’t have the ability to accommodate these families due to community living with shared bathrooms,” said Kelsey. “The idea is to create a more structured environment and help strengthen the stability of the family.”
Two other initiatives begun over the past year are a Resident Education Program and weekly Bible studies to provide learning opportunities for all residents. The Resident Education Program focuses on informing and educating residents. Guest speakers are brought in to talk about a variety of topics including community opportunities, wellness and recovery, finances and banking, available housing and more. The weekly Bible studies are led by either a case manager or a community volunteer and cover topics that can be practically implemented into the residents’ lives.
Click here to read Judson’s shelter testimony.
Immokalee Friendship House
The Immokalee Friendship House ran independently for over 20 years before merging with St. Matthew’s House in 2008. This move allowed us to expand our reach to the small farming community of Immokalee providing vital resources to those living in the area, many of whom are immigrants.
It offers many of the same programs and initiatives as Campbell Lodge, but there are some opportunities that are unique to this community like the walk-up food distributions.
“We had our first distribution on January 6, 2021,” says Ana Estrella, Director of the Immokalee Friendship House. She said the plan was to have a distribution every other week to help those in the community who didn’t have cars to go receive groceries the way distributions are usually done.
And what a success they were – distributing 300 or more boxes at each event, not including the countless extras that were handed out like produce, bread and PPE. And thanks to our partnership with Bank of America, they were able to distribute masks, gloves and hand sanitizer through these weekly distributions as well.
“Our community has seen that we are a key resource for assistance,” said Ana. Although the past year has been difficult, Ana acknowledged that it’s not the first disaster that they’ve faced and had to overcome. She says that these hard times can be opportunities to show the community our dedication to them through consistent care.
Many who enter our shelter feel broken. They often have no bank account, no identification, no healthcare. We’re often their last resort. But since beginning over 35 years ago, it’s been the mission of St. Matthew’s House to feed them, clothe them and love them just like Jesus would. Though they may enter our shelter simply hoping for a bed and a restful night’s sleep, they’ll receive so much more.
Transitional Housing
Transitional housing is a critical key to successful, long-term recovery. As residents graduate from Justin’s Place or exit our shelter program, it’s pertinent that they have a place to slowly adjust to the demands of society while still keeping themselves accountable.
According to rentcafe.com, the average renter in Naples will pay $1,859 for just over 1,000 square feet.1 And the Community Foundation of Collier County reports that 58,000 households in our county are “housing-cost burdened” and spend 30% or more of their household income on housing.2
Our transitional housing, such as Wolfe Apartments and Justin’s Village, provides more affordable, independent housing for people in recovery and those who have come through one of our shelters and need temporary housing while returning to the workforce and finding permanent housing. Additionally, these communities maintain the structure, accountability and community that is vital for success.
All our transitional housing locations are drug and alcohol-free, affordable and connect residents with resources they need to flourish. There are currently eight homes inside Justin’s Village, and we are beginning the necessary steps to build multi-family homes and apartments to increase the number of people we can serve.