Since 1980, St. Francis House has served Gainesville’s homeless community with shelter and hot meals. Prioritizing women and families, it has served over 5,000 guests since 2016 alone.
But in under a month, the shelter will permanently close its downtown facility due to funding and staffing challenges. Some fear the closure will result in a resource gap for one of Gainesville’s most vulnerable populations.
“I think that we all grieve,” said Lauri Schiffbauer, the organization’s executive director of five years. “It’s been a challenge when you’ve been working really hard to make something successful, and then it doesn’t come to fruition.”…