Two Birmingham organizations helping homeless population find shelter, emergency beds
Just a few weeks ago
By Magdala Louissaint
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BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (WVTM) — Just a few weeks ago, about a dozen homeless people were sleeping and eating outside of a closed gas station on Finley Boulevard.
It drew so much attention that Artie Gilbert, executive director of Urban Alchemy, and staff got a phone call about it.
“We communicated there was a complaint and a call sent in about coming to provide some services, not to actually move them, but to provide some services because that’s the best way to go about it,” Gilbert said.
Since December, Urban Alchemy’s Birmingham HEART street team has been on the ground helping homeless people, who have been very open to their approach.
“We come, we are just natural people. We got tattoos. We look like you. We feel like you, you know, we do not have these nice cars and suits on or nothing like that. We are just the people for the people,” Gilbert said.
Gilbert says that of the dozen they met that day, three people — two women and a man — were placed at local shelters. A crew from WVTM-TV Channel 13 saw two people sleeping at the gas station Tuesday. Gilbert says they periodically visit all the locations they know about and encourage people to take advantage of the help.
“Sometimes we see them mingling over there. Sometimes they’re not. When we do go over there, we encourage them to continue to be open and available when we connect them to the resources to follow through,” Gilbert said.
Jimmie Hale Mission is another group that is about to expand its efforts and help even more homeless people.
A lot of large storage units sitting across the street from Jimmie Hale Mission could become the new service hub for the organization.
The executive director, Perryn Carroll, says it will give 100 homeless people their own beds and more.
Keys to a new life: Jimmie Hale Mission gifts cars to families in need Carroll adds, “[It will] also provide critical services to help those on the street, reenter the community and permanent housing with mental health services, with primary care services, with social work services that give them IDs and help people get what they need to get back on their feet.”
Carroll says that early this year, they asked the city of Birmingham for $2 million to help construct a $4 million service hub. Last Tuesday, in Mayor Randall Woodfin’s proposed fiscal year 2026 budget to city councilors, he told them a new $1.5 million is needed to serve the homeless people across the city, and that the money could also help Jimmie Hale Mission purchase 100 emergency beds.
“So we are left waiting to see what the city will do, to support this endeavor, to truly help those in need,” Carroll said.
Last winter, Carroll said, three people froze to death sleeping on the streets. They do not want to see that happen again.
“Last winter, we provided over 4,000 beds to those in need on the freezing nights that we had in Birmingham. That’s over 8,000 meals. Over 700 unique individuals were served in the warming station at Jimmie Hale Mission last year.” Carroll said.
Jimmie Hale Mission says the city of Birmingham promised them $75,000 this fiscal year to operate the warming shelters. Carroll says they have not seen it yet, but they know that it’s in the works. Jimmie Hale Mission has until June 30 to receive that money from the city.
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