A new shelter for chronically homeless people in Sioux Falls is filling up fast.
The Safe House is expected to be home to nearly 10 people by Saturday, just four days after it opened, and likely will reach its capacity of 33 residents by the end of February, according to KELO-TV.
Kari Benz, assistant director for Minnehaha County Human Services, said the county has a waiting list with more than 50 names.
The $3.5 million facility was built on land donated by the county. Its funding comes from a mixture of donations, grants and contributions.
Each room is 500 square feet and has a bathroom and a kitchen that includes a mini-refrigerator and microwave, the Argus Leader newspaper reported. Each resident will have a twin bed and chair, a kitchen table, a 19-inch television, and will receive necessities such as toothpaste and shampoo.
"They will walk into this room and think they have landed in heaven," Benz said.
She said that residents who make an income will pay $499 a month.
It's taken five years to build the shelter, which officials believe will lower the community costs associated with caring for the chronically homeless.
The Minnehaha County Human Services Department estimates it will save $15,000 annually for every person housed at Safe Home due to fewer trips to the emergency room and the county detox facility, and fewer encounters with law enforcement.
