Ozanam Inn makes historic outreach to women

By Christine Bordelon
Clarion Herald

There is room at the inn for women this Christmas.

For the first time in its 65-year history, Ozanam Inn, the nonprofit Catholic homeless shelter, is offering space for women.

And, native New Orleanian Edwina Joseph, 63, is so thankful.

Joseph was evicted from her apartment earlier this year and had been living in her car for 140 days. When she heard that Ozanam Inn had relocated to 2239 Poydras St. (near the Broad Street overpass) and was offering overnight shelter and its in-house program to women, she knew she had to find it.

Joseph had been familiar with Ozanam Inn’s free clothing and food for women at its former Camp Street location.

“I don’t have to feel so afraid of who’s around me when I am outside my car, and I am able to use the restroom, shower, get a hot meal and medical treatment,” said Joseph, who joined the program in recent weeks. “It’s a nice place; modern-day. I have my same bed every night. This place is a one-stop shop for homeless people. It has so much to offer – the dentist, the doctor. They help to house you and can help get you a job.”

New digs outfitted for women
Since it moved in November from Camp Street – its original home since 1955 – to a larger, approximately 32,000-square-foot, two-story building, the inn can provide overnight accommodations for up to 59 single women on the second floor. There are 97 beds for men downstairs. Women with children receive vouchers to sleep at another shelter.
 
“It’s exciting,” said Clarence Adams, chief executive officer. “It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, but we’ve never had the space. The ladies could not stop thanking us (when the inn opened to them on Dec. 6). The program will look exactly like the men’s. I’ve seen the program change so many lives, so I am glad to offer it to women.”


Ozanam Inn bought a former office building and renovated it to include women’s dormitory rooms and bathrooms with showers, converting a men’s bathroom to showers and adding two more toilet stalls. The second-floor space includes a TV room; a health suite with one dental room and another with a dental X-ray machine, four medical exam rooms; storage; private classrooms (for employment readiness training, anger management, life skills, AA meetings, etc.); offices; and additional bathrooms for clients and staff.

LSU Dental School students provide weekend dental services, and medical students from LSU and Tulane medical centers and staff members of Healthcare for the Homeless come in several times a week.

The downstairs features the men’s dorms, kitchen, dining room, offices and outdoor patio with roll-down shades to protect clients from the elements.

“It’s such a difference now,” Adams said of the new location, which is newer and larger. “Our clients feel better about staying here and about themselves. We worked hard trying to keep Camp Street clean, but it was a 100-year-old building, and there was always something going wrong.”

With a new location comes a learning curve for the staff and clients, but the new quarters provide the flexibility to convert some women’s dorms into men’s sleeping quarters, if necessary. Safety remains a priority, with access-control keypads upstairs.

“Everything is different due to the configuration (of the building),” Adams said. “We had to rethink everything. Especially with the ladies, we had to figure out how things work.”

Numbers steadily increasing
Adams said the pandemic has slowed the number of men and women who frequent the inn for shelter, food and rehabilitative services. There are now an average of 60 to 70 men spending the night, while 30 to 35 are registered in the program that includes case management, legal counsel and permanent housing guidance. Currently, five or six women spend the night, and two joined the program, meaning they can stay onsite all day, setting the Ozanam Inn apart from other shelters that require clients to leave during the day and return only at night.

Adams said the homeless are slow to change, but he believes the new location is ideal due to its proximity to hospitals and the Rebuild Center at St. Joseph.

“One thing with the homeless, it takes time for them to get used to something and trust it,” Adams said. “But, it’s been a blessing. God’s had his hand in it every step of the way.”

Ozanam Inn’s chapel is awaiting its pews and will soon offer non-denominational religious services and nighttime Bible studies. Adams is hoping to add a weekly Catholic Mass.

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