Ground Breaks on New Code Blue Shelter in Saratoga Springs

A groundbreaking ceremony was recently held for a new permanent Code Blue Shelter in Saratoga Springs. 

The ceremony, which took place on Oct. 1, marks the official start of construction for the new shelter. The new shelter is located at 116 Ballston Avenue, directly across the street from Market 32, in the city of Saratoga Springs. 

The new shelter will open in 2027 and offer 75 beds during the Code Blue months. It will be operated by Shelters of Saratoga. It will also offer amenities such as a hot meal to anyone who comes in and uses the shelter. 

The shelter will be the first permanent Code Blue shelter in Saratoga County since the opening of Shelters of Saratoga’s first Code Blue Shelter in 2013. In 2016, an executive order was issued requiring social services at the county level to provide shelter to homeless individuals when the temperature drops below 32 degrees Fahrenheit. 

The lack of a permanent Code Blue shelter location had been a challenge faced by Shelters of Saratoga and Saratoga County since the initiative began, with the shelter moving to several different locations over the last 13 years. The new shelter will solve these issues, according to several officials who spoke at the groundbreaking ceremony. 

“Our permanent building will allow us to finally operate a shelter out of a facility that’s actually designed for its purpose, which might sound silly, but to us, it’s everything,” Stephanie Romeo, Executive Director of Shelters of Saratoga, said. “We’ve been in seven different locations in 12 years, and not a single one of those locations was built for its purpose, and it has showed in many ways.”

This was backed up by Saratoga County Board of Supervisors chair, Phil Barrett who thanked Shelters of Saratoga for their work on the project and highlighted how the project will provide a long-term solution for the county moving forward. 

“We will have a permanent location and erase all that doubt that we had over the years as to where this Code Blue shelter might be in the next year, in the next five years, so having a permanent location erases that doubt,” Barrett said. “It makes it more cost effective going into the future, knowing that we have a permanent location that we can invest in, operate, and we won’t have to move.” 

In a press release, Shelters of Saratoga said they have a fundraising goal of $8 million, of which, $4.3 million has been raised. Those looking to help support the project can do so by visiting codebluesaratoga.org or by scanning the qr code.