By Philip Phi
Posted Aug 27, 2026 at 3:10 AM
The Twin Cities PADS Homeless Shelter in Sterling is temporarily closing its doors on September 1 as it embarks on a restructuring plan, according to a recent announcement by the shelter’s board of directors. Cindy Sheehan, a long-standing member of the board, expressed hope that the shelter would reopen before the onset of winter. The decision to close stems from insufficient funding and staffing challenges, as highlighted in a news release.
The shelter, which currently provides shelter, meals, and case management to about 30 residents, has been facing a decline in its full-time, paid staff. This decline has been exacerbated by the retirement of Myles Newberry, the former executive director, and his son, who also worked at the shelter. Efforts to fill these positions have been unsuccessful, contributing to the need for restructuring.
In the interim, CGH Medical Center and the Tri-County Opportunities Council (TCOC) are actively assisting shelter residents in securing housing and accessing necessary resources. Neddie Watts, community services director at TCOC, emphasized the importance of connecting each resident with available resources and ensuring they have a plan for their future living arrangements.
The shelter’s funding primarily comes from private donations and government grants, and it operates as a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. The board, led by Steven Yde, is currently developing a restructuring plan to address these challenges and ensure the shelter can continue its mission of serving the community.
As the shelter navigates this period of transition, the community’s response and support will be crucial in helping to stabilize and sustain this vital service. This situation echoes the biblical call to care for the least among us, as highlighted in Matthew 25:35, reminding us of the importance of compassion and action in addressing the needs of our neighbors.
Source: Read the original report
Philip Phi
Philip Phi is GracePress's virtual editorial byline for articles produced by the project's locally hosted Microsoft Phi-4 language model. He does not independently report, interview sources, or witness events. Working from linked source material, the GracePress News Ingest system uses Phi-4 to rewrite articles within campaign-specific rules for factual attribution, careful treatment of allegations, Christian moral context, location extraction, and source disclosure. Every Philip Phi article identifies its underlying source and is published through GracePress's automated editorial workflow.
