MONROE, Mich. — The upper floor of Oaks Village’s homeless shelter in Monroe could reopen for at least limited use before winter, giving 24 people a warm place to sleep on the coldest nights of the year.

The shelter at 1018 E. Second St. has been closed since March, when building and safety inspections found significant “life-safety concerns” and the City of Monroe posted the closure on March 17, according to the Monroe News. Executive director Garry Moore gave the update at the Nov. 3 meeting of the Monroe County Board of Commissioners.

The goal, Moore said, is to reopen the upstairs to accommodate 24 people “for these coldest months of the year, even if it’s just a warming center for them.”

Phase 1 of the renovation is complete — about $75,000 plus donated materials and labor — covering electrical upgrades, new carbon dioxide and smoke detection systems, asbestos abatement, roof repairs, exterior work, architectural plans, painting and new doors. Phase 2 is the upper-floor reopening; a full lower-floor opening won’t come until next year.

Architect Jim Jacobs said drawings for fire separation and fire suppression upgrades have been submitted for permit and are in the city’s hands for review. A temporary operating permit for the upper area is possible if all requirements are met.

While the shelter has been closed, Oaks Village has kept serving the community — about 200 people a day (open 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday), a food pantry serving roughly 250 families a week, free clothing for about 50 people a day, recovery services for 50 to 60 a day, and a senior/homeless lunch for about 50 a day.

The need is real: 660 people used a homeless shelter in Monroe County in 2025, and 271 of them were served at Oaks — about 40% of the county’s homeless population.

Moore said the board is seeking community funding for the remaining work and was NOT asking the county commissioners for funding. He is also working with other local churches on near-term winter alternatives, including warming centers or rotating church shelters.

Photo of the Wintonia Apartments, transitional housing in Seattle, by Joe Mabel, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA). Stock photo — not the Oaks Village shelter.