Some homeless men staying at Dover Inn 

By Ryan Mignone
Staff writer
ryan.mignone@doverpost.com 

Since the city’s temporary inclement weather shelter shut down March 19, a number of the homeless men who stayed there have been put up at the Dover Inn.

The Rev. Lee MacCallum, who served as shelter director, confirmed that 22 men are living in 11 rooms at the motel until April 1.

“I really felt we needed to give them a transition,” he said. “A number of them have rooms [or apartments] lined up for April 1.”

The men are lodging at rates comparable to any other customer, which according to Dover Inn desk clerk Arlinda Seeley is $275 for a king bed or $300 for a double bed per week. MacCallum said that through monetary contributions and a matching grant from the Delaware Housing Authority, the volunteers are footing most of the bill but each man will pay at least $25 or up to half the cost of the room for their remaining seven days. An account established by the volunteers for the shelter project has swelled to roughly $10,000 to $15,000, which factored into MacCallum’s decision to put them up in a motel.

“We didn’t have to expend a lot of money [for the inclement weather shelter] since we had a lot of donations,” he said. “That’s why we felt we could do this transition for these guys.”

Jeanine Kleimo, chair of the outreach committee at Christ Church, said she and other volunteers are working feverishly to find the men affordable places to live. Unfortunately some landlords have attempted to increase rent for the men during negotiations, which is why it’s taking longer to secure long-term housing.

“We’re just trying to buy some time come [April 1],” she said.

Although the volunteers will check on them periodically, MacCallum said the men are solely responsible for providing their own meals. He added they are trying to establish the men with food stamps and Medicaid.

Seeley said it’s not uncommon for the Whatcoat Shelter or The Shepherd Place residents to occasionally stay a few nights at the Dover Inn. She said General Manager Geri Grow was somewhat reluctant to house the men but MacCallum assured her there wouldn’t be any damages. So far, she said there haven’t been any problems.

MacCallum said they will serve dinner for the men tonight, March 26, at the Presbyterian Church of Dover and thereafter each Wednesday evening at rotating sites.