By Eric Curl
March 15, 2025 – On Thursday, the Savannah City Council approved a plan to expand the Inner City Night Shelter, while also offering the shelter’s executive director, Yvonne Pryor, praise for the job she does in helping to address homelessness. The council also noted that the shelter has been in the downtown area at 124 Arnold St. since 1983 after learning to two MPC members voted against the proposal due to concerns about its impact on surrounding development interest.
The unanimous vote came after Downtown Neighborhood Association President David McDonald said the association supports the project, but did have concerns about a lack of enforcement when it comes to panhandling and vagrancy that can occur when the residents leave the shelter during the day. The council’s vote included a condition that the city and shelter will meet with the neighborhood association on how those concerns can be addressed.
Pryor said the shelter is scheduled to close on property needed for the expansion on March 28. They will first demolish the structure on the site before beginning construction, she said, with work hopefully starting in about six months. hoping to start doing something in six months.
The Metropolitan Planning Commission had recommended for approval the special-use permit requested to expand shelter in February. The 8-2 vote by the advisory board recommends approval for the shelter at 124 Arnold St. to expand its footprint to two adjoining parcels and enhance its capacity to serve those in need by providing space for additional beds, job training, drug counseling, and mental health services, according to the project’s representatives, as previously reported.
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