Maria Cruz, Talbot House’s director, said the nonprofit organization purchased The Salvation Army’s former East Polk shelter at 320 Martin Luther King Blvd. N.W. for $1 million. The real estate contracts were signed on Friday.
“This marks a milestone for Talbot House Ministries after 40 years of serving the community and being able to help women, children, and families in need,” she said. “We serve families with our food pantry, diversion, or housing, but never before as an emergency venue. It’s a big step for us.”
Cruz said the Winter Haven site will be taken back to its roots, primarily aimed at providing shelter for single women and women with children.
Yet there are more than 600 individuals who are homeless in Polk County, according to the latest 2023 figures.
Talbot House has plans for major renovations to the single-story building. According to the Polk County Property Appraiser’s Office, it has 7,956 square feet of interior space.
The Winter Haven shelter will remain closed into 2025 for renovations. Cruz said the goal is to create mini-dorms, or pods, able to house family units together. The proposed plans call for 10 rooms with four beds, five rooms with six beds, and a dormitory for single women containing 12 beds. This would increase the shelter’s maximum occupancy to 82 people.
Cruz said “Services will be based on need” whether it’s a few nights temporarily for someone fleeing from domestic violence or longer-term residential for a family trying to get back on its feet. The shelter will not close in the early morning, allowing residents to stay on-site as needed.
Male residents 18 and older will not be housed on-site as part of the first phase, according to Cruz. Adult male members of families experiencing homelessness will be offered shelter at Talbot House’s main Lakeland campus and allowed to come to visit with family members during the day.
Cruz said the shelter will open as soon as construction is finished, whether that’s late fall or early 2025. Talbot House will be launching a fundraising campaign to help raise the money needed for the building’s rehabilitation and the shelter’s daily operations.