Salvation Army Opens Homeless Shelter for Women in Syracuse Salvation Army’s Ethel T. Chamberlain House Opens in West Syracuse

By: Adrianne Morales SYRACUSE, NY (NCC News) – The Salvation Army’s Ethel T. Chamberlain House opened its doors in West Syracuse on March 4. The homeless shelter is centering its help around women with health and substance-abuse issues.

The $8.2 million project already has two beds taken since its opening, and has 13 more available.

Although there is an application process for women looking to live inside of the shelter, the home makes exceptions during extreme weather.

“We have 15 shelter beds, but when it’s freezing cold outside or blizzarding or even 95 degrees and 100% humidity outside…we want individuals experiencing homelessness off the street,” said Stephani Klumpp, director of the shelter.

Women at the shelter will also be offered the help they need to be on their own after their stay.

“We’re gonna do whatever we can do to get them connected to the supports to succeed once they leave out of the shelter…Some of them go into independent housing. Some of them go into supportive housing. Some of them go into transitional,” said the assistant program manager, Erin Felix.

Women must go through the Department of Social Services to apply to live in the shelter.

“If someone, an individual or a family, finds themselves in a situation where they are going to be homeless or they are in fact homeless, they can contact 2-1-1 and…they will do sort of a quick phone intake and then..that family or an individual [will be placed] into a shelter,” said Klumpp.

The Ethel T. Chamberlin home is officially up and running, but is still working on technicalities.