Matt Hamilton/Daily Citizen-NewsThe new Providence Men's Shelter at 613 Oxford St. in Dalton has 32 beds. 

DALTON, Ga. — Four years ago Ricky Long came to Providence Ministries to seek help with a drug addiction, one he says he battled for 40 years. Now Long, who celebrated his fourth year of being clean on Jan. 1, is the manager for the new Providence Men’s Shelter.

The new shelter is at 613 Oxford St. in Dalton and is scheduled to open at the end of the month. Its hours of operation will be 4 p.m. to 7 a.m. daily.

A dedication and open house were held recently for the 32-bed shelter. It’s an extension of Providence Ministries, which is headquartered at 711 S. Hamilton St. in Dalton and provides shelter for men, women and children, serves meals to the homeless and offers addiction recovery programs for alcohol and drugs.

Long said the shelter has a “special place in my heart.”

“I enjoy watching broken lives get put back together,” he said. “These guys come to Providence and their lives are broken or torn apart.”

Providence Ministries, founded in 1985, currently has a men’s shelter with 28 beds at its shelter at the South Hamilton Street location. Roy Johnson, president and founder of Providence, said the new men’s shelter has been “a long time coming.”

“I appreciate all the people that helped on the capital campaign,” Johnson said.

A capital campaign was started in 2014 by a steering committee led by campaign chair John Bowling, the former president and CEO of Hamilton Health Care System.

Gary Paul, director of development for Providence, said the capital campaign goal was $1.5 million and the organization raised “right below that.”

Construction on the new men’s shelter began in 2015. Johnson said it cost between $400,000 to 500,000 to complete.

“The shelter is great to have now if we need it for overflow,” Johnson said. He said the new shelter will eventually be the main men’s shelter and the Hamilton location will be used “to fall back on.”

“Between the two shelters we’ll be able to handle the needs of northwest Georgia,” he said.

Shelter video

A major positive at the new shelter is that it’s handicapped accessible. It has a medical room where men can receive flu shots and other minor medical help, living space for 32, a laundry room, a conference room and an overnight staff living area.

“It basically has everything needed to make it a home,” Johnson said.

Long said he likes that the facility is near several businesses.

“We help them (the men) get jobs, get back on their feet, and back into the world to live productive lives,” he said.

As manager of the shelter, Long’s duties include interviewing potential residents and making sure everything runs smoothly.

“I’m just grateful to have this opportunity to serve the community,” he said.

Murray Goodlett lives on Oxford Street across from the new shelter and said he’s happy to see it there.

“I’ve lived here all my life,” Goodlett said. “The shelter will be a good service for the community.”