DAEOC to build new homeless shelter in Sikeston

SIKESTON, Mo. (KFVS) - One organization is ready to lay a new foundation and serve an often unseen part of our communities.

The Delta Area Economic Opportunity Corporation plans to build that new shelter from the ground up.

The organization’s president, Joel Evans, said it’s time for an upgrade.

“Our current facility has six rooms and it is always full and there’s always a waiting list,” he said.

That’s why they plan to build a new homeless shelter in Sikeston.

Currently, it’s just an empty area on Kathleen Street between Scott and Stoddard, but eventually it’ll be a new facility allowing them to help more people.

“The residential building will have 12 units, four of those will be two bedroom units,” Evans added.

He said those two-bedroom units will be unique to DAEOC’S shelter.

“There are shelters that are for women and children and some that allow men but this is one of the few that will let the family unit stay together,” he continued.

The new building will also provide some services the old building lacked, like open access to a laundry room and bathrooms.

“There might be people that come to us and say, ‘we are not looking to lodge but we would like to bathe and change our clothes’ and now we will be able to provide that service to them,” said Evans.

Sikeston City Manager Johnathan Douglass said there’s a bigger need for this shelter than people may think.

“Really, there is more homelessness than people realize in communities because a lot of times it’s not someone out in the street, it’s a little more invisible but it is still someone who doesn’t have a place to stay,” said Douglass.

And Evans said he is looking forward to helping out more people.

“It would be nice to have several shelters in the area but this shelter will be a good start.”

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