From nightclubs to hardware stores, rural counties are getting creative to combat homelessness

Homelessness is increasing across the state, in both urban and rural areas. However, rural communities often lack housing and resources to address the problem.

So you get creative. Lawyers in north-central Ohio found a solution in a former nightclub.

Homeward Bound of Wooster and Wayne County are opening a new day center and severe weather shelter south of downtown Wooster.

“Having this space here, I think, will make a huge difference for the county, the community and downtown,” said Cynthia Bonidie, executive director of Homeward Bound.

The building at 981 Grosjean Road was formerly a bar called The Vault. Now it will be a place where people experiencing homelessness can come during the day to eat and shower and connect with employment and housing options.

During the colder months — Nov. 1 to April 30 — they can sleep here, Bonidie said.

“Our street homeless people that we contact are literally sleeping wherever they can find them before being moved on by, say, a downtown store or a police officer,” Bonidie said.

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Homelessness in the county is increasing, due in part to a lack of affordable housing, she said.

This year, the Point-In-Time Count, an annual survey commissioned by the federal government, found that more than 110 people were homeless in Wayne County.

At least 50 of them stayed outside, Bonidie said.

So far, the district has not had a permanent place for emergency overnight accommodation. A private donor purchased the vacant bar and decided to lease it to the nonprofit, she said.

“Our buyer had a conversation with his wife and they said, ‘Let’s ask what we can do in the community to make a difference,'” Bonidie said.

The buyer looked at several buildings before choosing this one, she added. Some of the buyer’s bids on other buildings were rejected when the sellers learned of the intent for the space, she said.

The city’s Planning Commission approved a request in May to convert the building into an emergency shelter, Bonidie said.

Without them, “we would still have people on the streets, potentially sleeping outside even in the winter,” she said.

Other rural areas struggle to combat homelessness

The challenge isn’t just for Wooster.

The rise in homelessness has hit rural areas across Ohio particularly hard, said Amy Riegel, executive director of the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio (COHHIO).

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“Communities that are urban in nature have already built protective systems and therefore have buildings, staff and resources – all in the community,” Riegel said. “Many rural communities, on the other hand, are starting from scratch.”

These communities often lack buildings that can be converted into stable housing, she added.

Even if they have them, it is difficult to find the resources and manpower to keep them running.

So communities have had to get creative, she said.

A Ross County nonprofit opened a shelter in a former hardware store on the outskirts of Chillicothe. They set up a trailer outside the building for showers and laundry, she said.

COHHIO and other organizations are helping communities across the state find innovative solutions to “be really creative and just think outside the box.”

“The unfortunate truth is that there simply isn’t enough federal, state or local money available,” Riegel said.

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Homeward Bound has decided not to seek government assistance for housing, Bonidie said.

Instead, they rely on local nonprofits, churches and volunteers.

“Our community is very generous and supportive. I just think sometimes there’s an attitude of, ‘It’s just not happening in our city,'” she said. “I mean, if you look around, Wooster is a beautiful place, so you don’t see what I see when you drive through.”

She sees a great need for the new animal shelter. It can accommodate 32 men and 12 women, but she expects to look for more space as the number continues to rise.

In the meantime, Homeward Bound will continue its educational efforts to help its community understand the growing problem.

This is the only center of its kind in Wayne County, Bonidie added. There are two other shelters, but both have certain rules that could be a barrier for some people, she said.

“We don’t ask them to come in sober, crime-free and in a good mood. We just ask them to come in and be safe for themselves and for others,” Bonidie said. “And hopefully they get that nice hot meal and a new pair of socks and a place to sleep, and the next day they wake up and say, ‘Hey, that’s not so bad.’ What does this look like for me and my future?’”

In addition to Homeward Bound staff, the center will also consist of volunteers and two paid crisis intervention specialists.

There will also be employment, addiction and housing resources as well as a medical clinic, Bonidie said.

The center is open all year round from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m