It took longer than expected, but the city of Glens Falls finally has a new homeless shelter and resource center. Our Matt Hunter has more on the opening of the Open Door Mission's new facility.

GLENS FALLS, N.Y. – After years of planning and fundraising, Wednesday's ribbon cutting officially marked the opening of the Open Door Mission's new shelter in Glens Falls.

"This is huge. This is years in the making,” said Kim Cook, the non-profit’s executive director.

Open Door, which has roots in the city dating back almost 30 years, announced plans for the Warren Street building in early 2017, but the opening was delayed by problems with the property's water and sewer systems.

"Some of them asked me one day 'Kim, when is the shelter going to be open?' ” said Cook, referring to conversations she had with individuals served by Open Door. “I said 'soon,' and they said 'we keep hearing that,' and they said 'Kim, it's cold out here.' "

Two more phases of the project are still to come, but the completed sections feature a day room, offices, a wintertime Code Blue Shelter and a year-round eight-bed shelter for men.

"There's nothing for adults who are homeless in Warren and Washington counties, all of the counties,” Cook said. “That was a huge void."

Phase one also features a new resource center and workspace for local non-profits that serve those living in poverty.

"They are walking all over town trying to find resources, so we really want to make this a community space that pulls everything together," Cook said.

"Most of all, what we'll be able to offer people is the opportunity to have someone walk with them, someone to meet them face-to-face where they are as a person, and walk them through their journey as they move forward," said Shelly Smith, who serves as the organization’s resource director.

The second and third phases will include a larger 50-bed shelter and a new home for Open Door's soup kitchen and food pantry, which serves between 25 and 50 people a day at its current downtown location.

"There is more poverty in this area than most people recognize," Smith said.

By offering so many services under one roof, the mission's leaders hope to reach new people who never sought their help before.

"This is so needed in Glens Falls. This could touch, over the years, thousands of people,” Cook said.