The Hub
One building. Three organizations. Everything under one roof.
The Hub is a collaborative community space at VAC Opportunity Campus where VAC’s Waypoint Shelter, New Day Columbia's Day Center, and Loaves & Fishes work side-by-side to serve Columbia’s unhoused neighbors.
A new location to serve columbia
Columbia, MO 65201
About the Hub
The Hub was designed around a straightforward idea: the people who need help most shouldn’t have to navigate across town to get it.
Three organizations will share the space. VAC operates Waypoint shelter which is a year-round, housing-first emergency shelter with 24/7 staffing, case management, and a clear pathway to permanent housing. A New Day Columbia Day Center—previously Turning Point, located at Wilkes Blvd. United Methodist Church—provides daytime services, community connection, and individual support. Loaves & Fishes serves hot meals every evening, no requirements, no questions.
Each organization is independent. Together, they make The Hub something none of them could build alone.
Location
All services are now available at the Hub on the VAC Opportunity Campus — 1304 Bowling St., east of the city power plant off Business Loop 70 East.
- By bus: Accessible via Go Como Transit Orange Route.
Key Services at The Hub
The Hub will be a low-barrier facility, operating 24/7 and 365 days a year to provide comprehensive services for individuals experiencing chronic and unsheltered homelessness in Boone County.
Waypoint Shelter
Year-round, low-barrier emergency shelter with professional staff on-site 24/7.
Day Services
A safe, stable place to be during the day, with access to case management, laundry, computer lab, storage, and showers.
Meal Services
Hot evening meals served daily by Loaves & Fishes. Everyone is welcome.
Room at the Inn is now Waypoint Shelter.
For more than 15 years, Room at the Inn provided overnight shelter to Columbia’s unhoused neighbors, first through a network of faith communities rotating hosting duties, and from a permanent home at the Ashley Street Center. That work has always mattered. The people who built it, staffed it, and showed up for it built something real.
In January 2026, Room at the Inn’s board made the decision to fold the organization fully into VAC. Their staff, their services, and their commitment to low-barrier shelter are now part of VAC’s operation.
The name is new. The work isn’t.
The Waypoint Shelter has moved permanently the Hub and operates alongside New Day Columbia Day Center and Loaves & Fishes, bringing all of these services together under one roof for the first time.
If you or someone you know has used Room at the Inn before, you’re in the right place. Same low-barrier access. Same commitment to shelter without conditions.
What is housing first?
Housing first means we provide stable shelter before anything else — no sobriety requirements, no employment conditions, no proving you’re ready. When people have a safe place to land, everything else becomes possible.
This isn’t a new idea. It’s a proven one. Housing-first programs have a 97% success rate in keeping people housed long-term.
Volunteer at The Hub
Volunteers can support The Hub in a number of ways, from working evening shelter shifts to doing laundry in the morning. Shifts vary in duties and duration, and all volunteers must be 18 or older.