ST. CLOUD — The last time they were counted — Oct. 22, 2015 — women made up about half of Minnesota’s homeless population. And of that, 47 percent did not have a child with them.

There has been a push across the state and especially in central Minnesota to reduce the number of homeless kids.

“People have put their focus on families,” said the Rev. Carol Smith, director of Place of Hope Ministries. “That’s how women and the single men get left behind.”

She said they seem to get less empathy than families experiencing homelessness.

“(People) don’t realize there may be a lot of barriers other people may have not faced,” Smith said. “It’s just a lot. It’s just so much.”

Women who are on their own can be especially vulnerable, Smith said, to situations such as sex trafficking. A warm place to stay can quickly become a dangerous situation.

Local programs have noticed. In early 2016, Catholic Charities of the Diocese of St. Cloud opened Emily’s Place, transitional housing for single women.

This fall, Place of Hope opened its own wing for single women. Smith and others recently celebrated the dedication of Mary Anne’s Wing. It can house up to 12 women at a time for up to about three months, depending on needs.

The floor is already full with women.

“Having these ladies here (has) just been so enjoyable, to watch them come in and being nervous and being scared on the streets,” Smith said. “They get here and it’s a safe place to be. … They can just feel secure and be able to put their energies toward moving forward. … They start to flourish as a human being.”

They cover a range: young and old, newly homeless or people who have been homeless a long time, women with physical disabilities and mental health problems, women who work but don’t make enough money for stable housing and women past retirement age.

In the past, many of these women might rely on Church of the Week, a program that gives overflow shelter to people when places like Place of Hope and the Salvation Army have run out of room. Area churches take turns hosting. It’s a safe, warm place, but it’s still only a mat on a floor.

“There’s just such a need for single women to have a bed instead of a mat,” Smith said. “That’s what we fought for … to get them off of the floors. … And now they get their own beds.”

The wing is named after Smith’s older sister Mary Anne Baker. Baker was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease when she was in her 50s. She died at age 64. Baker worked in Litchfield, spending more than two decades as the office manager of the Litchfield Independent Review newspaper.

Before her diagnosis, Baker and Smith’s other sisters and families would help out at Place of Hope. They adopted a room on the second floor, repainted it and furnished it.

“She was a big part of that,” Smith said. “Her heart was just here. … She … just had a big heart.”

Baker would talk about retirement when she’d come to Place of Hope and help Smith run the place.

“It’s just really sad that she couldn’t fulfill that dream,” Smith said.

What would she think about the new wing?

“She was a very humble. She’d say, ‘Oh you’re kidding me!’ At the same time, she’d be very honored, I think,” Smith said. “You know what she would love. She would love to see the women who are helped.”

The wing is similar to Katie’s Wing, opened last year as a safe place for women with young children experiencing homelessness. It provides shelter for at least eight families. It was named in honor of Katrina Stigman, who died of breast cancer at age 28.

The third floor is transitional housing for men, named after Chad Boeckers.

“He lost his battle with mental health issues and his family wanted something positive in his name to help men,” Smith said. Place of Hope also has a wing dedicated to veterans.

But there’s still more to do. While what they have now is workable, the hallway needs to be repainted and the plumbing needs an upgrade. Smith hopes to raise about $7,500 to finish the floor.

All in all, the dedication is bittersweet.

“Mary Anne was awesome. … I’m glad that we could do this,” Smith said. “I wish she was here.”