Within days of the inspection, the emergency shelter posted updated occupancy limit signs and reconfigured sleeping areas, fire officials said.
However, the shelter often now operates at near capacity for single women, with few available beds, said Joseph Gebhart, assistant director of shelter ministries with St. Vincent de Paul Society in Dayton.
“Currently, since we do run close to occupancy every day, when someone calls for a bed and we do not have occupancy, we encourage them to divert to a safe location,” Gebhart said. “Often, they have been able to work something out.”
Inspectors last year also found multiple fire code violations when they inspected the Gettysburg Gateway for Men Emergency Shelter, which St. Vincent de Paul operated until about mid-way through 2025.
A complaint
In mid-July, the Dayton Fire Department’s fire prevention bureau received a complaint about overcrowding in the upstairs sleeping area of the Shelter for Women and Families, located at 120 W. Apple St.
An inspection report says the occupancy load in an upstairs area at the shelter was about 76 but there were 125 beds. The report says the inspector also found beds on the first floor where there was no normal sleeping occupancy.
Inspectors last year also discovered that the shelter did not have a current certificate of occupancy, says a Dayton Fire Department inspection history report. The facility was issued a temporary certificate of occupancy in February 2024, but that expired three months later.
The fire department report also says a few of the egress doors kept “sticking” and were not easy to open, and access from the building to the public way was not maintained.
Michael Vanderburgh, then-executive director of St. Vincent de Paul in Dayton, told local news outlets in mid-July that the emergency shelter was at capacity and would not be able to accept new single women likely for a few weeks. Vanderburgh stepped down from his role in early December after eight years on the job.
Gebhart said the shelter reduced occupancy for single women from 129 to 84 beds after the fire inspection. He said initially the shelter had to turn away people looking to stay there until the facility complied with occupancy limits, but this only lasted for a few weeks.
The shelter capacity is now 231 regular beds, which includes the 84 beds for single women, said Gebhart, assistant director of shelter ministries.
St. Vincent de Paul Society has worked closely with the fire department to resolve all fire code issues, and only one minor violation remains unaddressed, which will be corrected with the repair of an exterior fire hydrant, Gebhart said. St. Vincent worked with Montgomery County Homeless Solutions and Homefull to help divert shelter-seekers when new intakes were paused over the summer.
Men’s shelter
St. Vincent de Paul Society in Dayton also operated the Gettysburg Gateway for Men Emergency Shelter until July, when Homefull took over operation of the facility.
Homefull CEO Tina Patterson said the men’s shelter had some fire code violations that Homefull inherited that had to be fixed.
“We take any fire code issues very seriously,” Patterson said. “Our priority from the beginning was to make sure the facility was safe.”
The Dayton Fire Department conducted more than 2,500 inspections last year, and inspectors often identify minor code violations during routine inspections, many of which can be correctly fairly quickly and easily, said Assistant Chief French.
“Minor violations often range from fire extinguishers needing to be serviced to light bulbs being out in exit signage,” he said. “Emergency egress and occupancy limit challenges are a significant concern, however, prompting a more rapid follow-up sequence at this (shelter) facility in July. Residents must be able to safely and effectively exit the building in case of an emergency.”
Of the 2,580 Dayton fire inspections last year, only 28 were initiated after the fire prevention bureau received a complaint. Officials say facilities like the emergency shelter are typically inspected by the Dayton Fire Department every two years.
The Dayton Fire Department, in conjunction with the law department, can issue citations, fines and legal orders, but usually fire personnel are willing to work with property owners and tenants to resolve violations, French said. No citations, fines or legal orders were issued to the Apple Street shelter.
Fire inspectors last year discovered that about 22 establishments, schools and properties in the city did not have copies of current certificates of occupancy required by administrative code, city records indicate. Records show that the Shelter for Women and Families was the only property that the fire department inspected in 2025 that was found to be in violation of the fire code because of overcrowding.
About the Author
