Oskaloosa Homeless Shelter Samaritan Inn closed Friday
Former residents of Oskaloosa's Samaritan Inn Lisa McCoy, Dennis Ireland and Dave
Residents at the Oskaloosa homeless shelter, Samaritan Inn, sat around the kitchen table discussing plans on moving forward, even on the day the doors were to be locked.
Those living at the facility found out last Monday that they needed to be out by that Friday, as the doors were being locked for good. Many residents have no transportation, with the exception of one. Many were unable to locate housing during the week due to the blizzard that struck the area during the mid week.
Samaritan Inn Resident Dennis Ireland said that they were shocked to find out they had to move out by that Friday. Dennis, on Social Security, informed me that he paid $100.00 a week to stay at the facility. He also said that the residents that were unable to pay worked at the thrift store, 20 hours a week at the rate of $5.00 per hour, to cover the cost of an individuals stay for that week. If it was a family, and they had a larger room, the rent was $600.00 per month according to residents. Ireland stated that the heat had been shut off to the thrift store since mid December. Ireland went on to say that if the residents didn’t go down there and work the required hours, they would be kicked out.
Linda Crawford said, “When you have no place to go and she’s threatened to kick you out if you don’t work, you’re working.”
Ireland said, “I think when she started this place she started with the best intentions, and she saw it can be a cash cow because people in the community have donated goods, materials and clothing down there, and she sells it and we don’t know where the money goes.”
Some residents have been lucky in being able to find homes quickly after the word was passed. The Homeless Coalition and Love Inc. have been doing the best they can to find homes for those that remained. Some have moved in with relatives. Lisa McCoy and her husband had just found a home to move to shortly before they were told about the closing of the facility.
McCoy said, “It’s so hard to tell from one minute to the next what is the truth and what is a lie with this woman.” speaking of Samaritan Inn owner Joyce Wheeler.
Ireland said, “This community and surrounding communities have been really giving to this place. A lot of times we don’t know it, don’t see it and we had to beg for everything.”
Former Samaritan Inn residents pose for one final picture in front of a typical room.
Both Ireland and McCoy told of how alot of the food, that was donated, was kept in a locked room. They raised concerns as to if residents would be allowed to have any of the food that has been locked up. They wondered what would happen to the food and many of the other supplies, that local residents and businesses had donated for the residents.
“Donations were given from the community for the people at Samaritan and yet to her and her mind this stuff is all hers.” a frustrated Crawford said.
McCoy said Wheeler called her and said, “Just to inform you in-case CRI comes back out here to interview again, ‘be very careful what you say,’ she said, ‘be very very careful what your saying.'” McCoy, and the other remaining residents, took those words as a threat.
McCoy did say that Wheeler came by Thursday night and gave the residents, that were still there, a bag with some toiletries and a four pack of toilet paper to have to move out on. McCoy said she was grateful for that.
McCoy went on to say, and many in the room agreed, that it really wasn’t a bad place; with the exception of the last 2 weeks. Residents, like Crawford, said that Samaritan Inn was there when she was at her rock bottom, while another resident chimed in saying it was certainly a lot better than sleeping outdoors. Nearly all say they were grateful for the Samaritan Inn, and the benefit it was to them and to Joyce when they came upon hard times.
Lisa McCoy stated “What about these people that are getting thrown out into the cold? I’m lucky enough to have a place I can call home. If I could take every person here with me I would; but I can’t.”
Erin Sherwood, Vice President of the Homelessness Coalition stated that in conversations with Joyce Wheeler, a member of the Homelessness Coalition herself, said that things were always the same there, that she worked with the residents there in attempting to put their life back in order, including finding them housing.
Sherwood informed me that Robin Pfalzgraf of Love Inc has been working diligently the entire time since the announcement of the closure of the Samaritan Inn to find those that need a place to stay, somewhere to go. Sherwood said the residents all had a place to go by Friday.
I asked Sherwood if Wheeler had expressed any concern that the shelter may need to close due to a lack of funding. “Never, Never. Everything was fine, everything was still up and running. She completely reassured all of us.” (Homelessness Coalition)
Osky News has attempted to contact Wheeler for a comment, but our calls were not returned.
3 News Stations have aired stories covering this subject. We have furnished links to them for further reference on this story. Just click on the links below for their broadcasts. This way you will also have the opportunity to listen to Joyce and her side of the story.
[…] We had previously spoken with Lisa on the final day the Samaritan Inn was open. You can read that article by clicking on this LINK. […]