MorningStar Mission began providing emergency shelter to women and children for the first time with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and wants to keep doing so.

The homeless shelter on Washington Street.traditionally provided emergency shelter for men and added transitional housing for women and children in 2005.

MorningStar now is seeking a special use permit from the city that would authorize emergency housing for women and children, something the shelter has been doing for months now.

Executive Director Sandi Perzee said MorningStar began taking in women and children this spring at a time when Daybreak Center was housing its residents in local hotels and not taking in new people for emergency housing at its Cass Street facility.

"We were like, what were we going to do? We can't just let these people out in the cold," Perzee said. "We started allowing them to stay in our drop-in center."

Previously, women and children were referred to Daybreak for emergency shelter.

Daybreak Center is open to new clients again but is currently at capacity because of social distancing requirements, said Kathleen Langdon, communications director for the facility.

Capacity for emergency housing at Daybreak is down from 120 before the COVID-19 pandemic to 50 now.

"That is completely based on social distancing," Langdon said.

MorningStar continues to take in women and children seeking emergency housing, Perzee said.

"We're just trying to get our zoning in conformance with what we are doing," she said.

The Zoning Board of Appeals last week recommended approval for the special use permit, which will next go to the City Council for approval.

MorningStar does not plan to expand its building for emergency housing. Women and children needing emergency shelter would stay in the transitional housing facility when rooms are available or in the drop-in center when needed.

The transitional facility has 24 rooms for longer stays of six to 12 months, providing services and shelter until permanent housing can be found.