Under One Roof: New women’s shelter opens in Bradenton

BRADENTON, Fla. — What was once a Manatee County Sheriff’s Office is now serving the community in a new way.

The facility is now a women’s only shelter called “Under One Roof Gateway South.”

From an emotional grand opening, to the public’s first view on Wednesday, Sarah Carter knows that all the hard work to open this women’s shelter was worth it.

“This is the Gateway South dorm. So this is the dorm specific to the recovery pathways,” she said.

Carter is a program manager for Helping Up Mission — a nonprofit that has partnered with Manatee County to operate the new women’s only shelter in Bradenton.

It’s also a recovery center that will house 40 women and help them overcome addiction, homelessness, and trauma.

“What this does is it kind of redirects, it gives women in this community a place to go, sit, relax, be treated with respect,” Carter said. “And then ultimately, we’re hoping for a yes, we’re hoping for a yes. I do want recovery.”

Carter said there is no time limit for how long women can stay here, but there is a 30-day track for women who want to work toward their next step.

“The idea is that you’re coming in, you’re getting a hot meal, a shower, some sleep. In the morning, you get some breakfast, and then you go about your day. And the idea is just that you come in and you give us a chance,” she said.

It’s a chance to help as many women as possible.

“It’s not one size fits all,” Carter said. “And we want to have a resource center that’s going to be able to provide all of the landing pads and the courses for the different pathways that people are going to choose.”

Carter believes the new shelter will provide a pathway to a better future.

Funding for Under One Roof Gateway South came in part from opioid settlement money and HUD’s HOME-ARP program. County officials said women will begin to stay in the facility sometime this month.