Pinellas Safe Harbor Homeless Shelter opened for business at noon today. By 6 p.m. Jan. 6, the massive shelter had 29 guests -- 7 women and 22 men. The number will grow to 50 in a week and then to 250.

Safe Harbor Program Coordinator Lt. Sean McGillen said the process went well for the first day of a first-time operation, with intake and assessment done for each client.

The county shelter can hold 500 homeless adults. It is expected to be the main facility for handling the high numbers of jobless people in St. Petersburg and other Pinellas cities on the streets and in need of food, showers and a place to sleep. The effort is considered a jail diversion project, since many people who are chronically homeless are in and out of jail on minor charges.

"We're trying to provide the basic necessities," said St. Petersburg Mayor Bill Foster, who toured the facility at a special press preview Wednesday. The shelter is in Clearwater, and there may be special shuttles to take homeless people from St. Petersburg to the building, next to the county jail.

Finding a solution to the county's homeless has beset officials for years. In the last few years high unemployment numbers amplified the need for shelters.

St Petersburg faced a growing dilemma with many homeless people kicked out of city parks. After sunset they wandered downtown for a spot to rest, only to be cited or arrested for trespassing or ordinance violations.

In December the Sheriff's Office announced a solution—a 500-bed shelter that would give the homeless a bed, showers, bathrooms, clothes, three meals a day and resources to get them on their feet again.

It costs the county $125 a day to keep an inmate. That's a hefty fee to pay for the homeless who ofetn are repeat offenders of non-violent crimes.

Instead of paying $125 to house a homeless inmate at the county jail, the shelter will provide more resources and the basic necessities at a cost of $2 a day. "The savings is going to be significant," said Bob Gualtieri, Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy.

But the specific dollar amount is yet to be seen, Gualtieri added.

The county jail averages 135 inmates a day. With an average of 22 days of incarceration the county will see significant savings with the shelter.

From 2005 to 2010, Alan Mason, a homeless man, spent 500 days in the county jail for crimes like ordinance violations. Over the five year period he cost the county $68,000.

"This shelter is a solution," Gualtieri said.

Although there will be those who refuse the help, the ones who stick to the plan will be provided resources and training through a collaborative effort with non-profit organizations.

"We don't want people to think this is a free ride. They have to re-learn how to do things," Synder said.

The Sheriff's Office rebuts claims that they are creating new homeless. The homeless are in cities from St. Petersburg to Tarpon Springs, according to officials.

"They are here anyway," Foster said. "It's a portal toward self sufficiency. Hopefully people will be motivated to help themselves."

Sarah Synder, executive director of Pinellas County Coalition for the Homeless, said one third of Pinellas County's homeless are children under 18.  Children will not be housed in this facility, which is for single adults.

And there's a growing trend of more homeless families. The majority of the county's over 2,000 homeless have lived here for over a year. They came with jobs, family ties and hopes, Synder said.

Foster reached out to various municipalities and forked out $100,000 of the city's money toward the shelter. Pinellas Park and Clearwater have tentatively committed $50,000 each.

Foster reached out to the city of Largo in December but no firm commitment has been made.

The start up costs for the shelter is $1.8 million. The county is paying the utilities. 

"It's a start, it's a beginning," Foster said, "It's better than a cardboard box on a street corner."