A long-debated plan to build a new homeless shelter in Poughkeepsie is officially moving forward.

The Dutchess County Legislature approved an agreement with the City of Poughkeepsie for a new $13 million emergency housing facility at 26 Oakley Street. The facility, called the HOPE Center, will provide emergency housing for up to 99 people.

It will replace the temporary housing units, known as the PODS, currently used on North Hamilton Street. The project will use a $13 million state grant to renovate the now-vacant Oakley Street building, which previously housed a mental health treatment and rehabilitation program.

Dutchess County Executive Sue Serino told News 12 that about 100 people are currently staying in the county’s homeless shelter.

“The need is huge,” Serino said.

The HOPE Center will put housing and support services under one roof, including mental health and substance-use treatment, job training and case management.

“[We’ll have] all the resources right there in the one building,” Serino said.

But getting the project to this point has taken years.

The City of Poughkeepsie and some residents have opposed placing another countywide homeless facility in the city’s Northside, saying the area already carries more than its share of the county’s homeless and social services. The dispute led the city and two Northside residents to sue Dutchess County in federal court.

The lawsuit alleged the shelter would further concentrate poverty and reinforce racial segregation. Serino said her administration looked at moving the project outside Poughkeepsie, but learned the $13 million state grant was tied to the Oakley Street property.

“They could not move the grant. It had to stay with the building,” Serino said. “I’m not going to throw away a $13 million grant that’s going to help folks.”

The city and county eventually reached an agreement following federal mediation. The shelter will initially serve adult men and women before transitioning to single women and/or families after 2031. The agreement includes 24-hour security, cameras, enhanced lighting and a 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew.

Dutchess County also agreed not to establish or fund another emergency shelter in the City of Poughkeepsie for 35 years. Serino said housing costs are pushing some working people into homelessness.

“There’s quite a few people living there who have jobs, but they’re just on that edge where they can afford to live in an apartment because of expenses,” Serino said.

Serino says 109 people have moved from emergency shelter into transitional or permanent housing during her roughly two-and-a-half years in office. HONOR, which currently operates the temporary shelter on North Hamilton Street, welcomed the agreement.

“HONOR is pleased to hear a resolution has been worked out,” Executive Director Chris Molinelli said in a statement.

Molinelli said initiatives like the HOPE Center support the organization’s longtime mission of providing “housing, hope and a path forward for those experiencing homelessness.”

Construction is expected to begin later this year. The county anticipates the HOPE Center will open in 2027, with Serino saying officials hope to have it ready by next fall.

News 12 reached out to the City of Poughkeepsie for comment.