St. Lucie County is set to transform the former Relax Inn motel in Fort Pierce into a shelter for homeless veterans, a project aimed at addressing one of the most urgent and visible needs in the community. The county expects to spend between $515,000 and $687,000 on renovations, converting the aging structure into 13 single-occupancy rooms with shared communal spaces and wraparound services.
“We plan to, hopefully, within the next week or so, I would say by the end of this month, go out to bid for a contractor to do the actual renovations of that facility,” said Erick Gill, communications director for St. Lucie County. “We didn't want to get too far down the road and have our staff redo it until we found an operator to work in partnership with the county to actually manage the facility.”
The operator is expected to be the Treasure Coast Homeless Services Council, led by Rayme Nuckles, who said the shelter will prioritize veterans and be staffed to provide much more than a place to sleep.
“The county has been working on that specific project for over a year now. We're still waiting on the opening date for that location. The priority at that location is veterans,” Nuckles said. “Our intent is to run it as a veteran shelter. We are working in collaboration with a number of federal partners, U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs specifically, to ensure that wraparound services for all veterans who enter that location are provided with dignity and respect and increase the viability of veterans being successful in our community.”
Gill said the county hopes to open the facility by next summer.
“One of the goals is to make it a one-stop shop,” he said. “We're trying to incorporate mental health services and regular health services they may need, as well as job training, skills, transportation, those sorts of wraparound services. The goal is to get the veterans out of the woods and off the streets into these shelters, and then give them the other services they need in that 90 days.”
The project arrives as St. Lucie County, like much of Florida, faces a worsening homelessness crisis, driven by a shortage of affordable housing, stagnant wages, and a growing elderly population on fixed incomes.
“Homelessness in Saint Lucie County continues to be a complex and growing concern,” Nuckles said. “The primary contributing factors include a severe shortage of affordable housing, rising rents, stagnant wages, and an increased number of both elderly and those who have disabling conditions who find themselves on fixed incomes and are unable to adjust to inflation. Compounding these issues is the lack of emergency shelter, especially for families. Most in our community may not realize that many individuals in Saint Lucie County are just one crisis away from homelessness.”
Nuckles said the cost of living far outpaces income across the Treasure Coast.
“For Indian River County and in the ZIP code that I live in currently, it's $27.33 per hour that someone needs to work a 40-hour job and be able to pay the rent at the fair market rent. Two ZIP codes away and it's $38,” he said.
He noted a particular rise in unaccompanied elderly individuals without financial or family support.
“They’re living on highly limited wages or were banking on Social Security to help them sustain. With rising rents and the cost of groceries, that in itself has caused a significant challenge. We’re seeing more families and elderly who are living in their cars and struggling to survive because of the lack of income,” Nuckles said. “We have families and elderly who are working two or three jobs to be able to pay the rent. We definitely need more housing subsidies to help individuals and elderly remain stable in a stable environment.”
The new shelter is being designed to accommodate individuals with complex needs, including those facing mental health or substance use challenges.
“The low-barrier options that are accessible to individuals and families with more complex needs, those who may need more mental health supports or be in recovery, are essential,” Nuckles said. “Usually people become homeless first, and then other elements begin at play. Their mental health is affected because they lose their self-worth, and that impacts all of us. Being forced to live in cars and encampments is unsafe. The stability of a shelter comes first before they can truly partake in other critical supports.”
While the capital cost of the project is accounted for, Nuckles emphasized that ongoing operations will require continued investment.
“Long-term stability of a shelter operation also remains a challenge, especially without adequate federal or state support,” he said. “The biggest challenge is and continues to be ongoing funding for these kinds of initiatives. We serve clients in a shelter for up to 90 days and try to move them out as quickly as possible. But it’s not just a 90-day shelter stay. Funds are needed for staffing, for case managers, and other highly supportive services as well.”
Building trust is also a key part of the recovery process.
“It makes it more challenging to house individuals when you don't have the opportunity to get to know them and how you can help them,” Nuckles said. “If they can build the rapport with an individual and get them into shelter, the better the chances are of helping them be successful. This is not something that happens overnight. This could take six to eight weeks just to build that rapport, to get them to trust you, to get them to open up about what their trauma is that they've experienced.”
He said the shelter will also help connect veterans to longer-term housing solutions.
“We can help individuals that are veterans who are on the streets with the first month’s rent and the security deposit, and if they qualify, potentially ongoing subsidy for a while to help them move forward in life and increase their income,” Nuckles said.
Despite the scope of the problem, Nuckles said the public should remember that homelessness is not a personal failing.
“Homelessness in Saint Lucie County, and in any county that we serve, is rarely the result of a personal failure, but of a systematic gap,” he said. “There's no immediate solution for those circumstances without our help. These are our neighbors and our family members. Many of us are a lot closer to homelessness than we care to admit.”
Gill echoed that concern and said the project reflects the county commission’s growing awareness of the issue.
“I think our board recognizes there is a need for a homeless shelter of some sort in our county. I don't believe there are any operating at this time,” he said. “There are plenty of nonprofits that do work for the homeless, but not necessarily overnight shelter stays.”