A History of The Firehouse Shelter

The Firehouse Shelter was founded in 1983 as an outreach program of The Cooperative Downtown Ministries. On its first night, the Shelter housed 12 men. Today, more than 175 homeless men find a safe, welcoming bed at a Firehouse Shelter facility. For 25 years, the Shelter has worked to improve and expand its programs and services for Birmingham’s homeless. Its success is seen in the fact that 90% of Shelter clients leave Shelter programs for permanent or transitional housing, or for needed medical treatment.