New $150,000 emergency shelter in Rapid City cares for homeless

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) - To assist Pennington County’s homeless population recover from COVID-19, Rapid City and the county created a temporary emergency shelter.

The shelter cost the city and county $150,000 and will be located on LaCrosse Street. Both Rapid City and Pennington County will pay $75,000 to help operate the temporary emergency shelter.

Depending on the number of patients, at this rate, the shelter could operate for two months with these funds.

Originally, there was a shelter in the Civic Center and was moved because it was too big, with only about two or three people under its care. It was more cost-effective to have a smaller building and less medical and cleaning staff.

With new rapid testing, the new shelter will no longer accept symptomatic people because results will return quicker.

“But Oyate Health has partnered with us for rapid testing anywhere between an hour or two hours so at this facility on Lacrosse we are only sheltering COVID-positive homeless individuals,” Rapid City Emergency Management Director Dustin Willett said.

The new shelter is set with 20 beds but could hold up to 30.

Copyright 2020 KOTA. All rights reserved.