New expansion at St. George homeless shelter helps southern Utah families in need

ST. GEORGE — Valerie Ward never envisioned being homeless, but that became her reality late last year. Due to circumstances out of her control, she became a single mother with a lease due and no way to pay.

"I was living on the border of Mississippi and Tennessee, and a friend of mine who grew up in Utah said that I needed to move to Utah because it's a family-oriented and safe environment," Ward, a 38-year-old mother of four, told KSL. "I converted a cargo trailer and we made our way here."

She moved to the Utah-Arizona border, enrolled her kids in school and secured a job. Finding housing, however, was more challenging, and Ward found herself in a situation she didn't know how to get out of.

"This was the first time I've ever hit that kind of rock bottom," she said. "I grew up in foster care, so I went to shelters in between foster homes, but I've never been homeless. I never would have imagined that this is where I'd be right now."

Little did she know that Switchpoint, a St. George-based homeless shelter and community resource center, was set to open family units at the start of this year — help was just a couple of months away.

Switchpoint recently opened its new family expansion unit in St. George, growing from five family rooms to 16.

"One of the most difficult parts of critical emergency shelter is keeping families together," said Zack Almaguer, senior director of communications at Switchpoint. "Now, with help in construction from various family foundations, partners and the state, we have been able to build this new family unit. It has 16 rooms for families. Now, with private donations to our organizations, we're able to begin operating that facility."

Switchpoint has several facilities across the state that serve diverse populations. Almaguer said the new unit in St. George is the organization's first critical emergency center that is exclusively for families. Providing shelter is only part of what his organization does, he said, adding that the resources it provides are aimed at helping people like Ward transition out of homelessness.

"Shelter is shelter, but when you couple that shelter with three meals a day and a support system including a case manager on-site, that's when it becomes something more," he said. "It's important to recognize that emergency shelter does not solve homelessness — it is a temporary stint to help residents gain stability so they can move to that next right chapter in their life. The ultimate goal is to transition these individuals into a home. Homelessness doesn't end with a shelter; it only ends with a home."

Almaguer said that with the new family expansion also came a new community kitchen. The old kitchen is being converted into 16 single-occupancy rooms.

"This family unit not only solved the need for rooms for families, but it allowed us to expand our current single men's and single women's operation," he said.

Ward said she is grateful for the support she has received at Switchpoint, noting that the stability has allowed her to look forward to the future with hope and purpose.

"For me, it's been a lifesaver," she said. "My oldest is 11, and my youngest is 6. Switchpoint has helped me have some sort of routine that is healthy. I can save up my funds to get housing. I'm also a dog groomer, and I'm hoping to convert my cargo trailer and make a company for me and my kids.

"It's funny because we moved from Olive Branch, Mississippi, but I feel like this place has allowed me to 'olive branch' into other avenues I didn't know existed."

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