Homeless shelter proposed

Planning commission provides feedback on informal plan for men’s facility

An attempt to meet an unmet need in Geauga County is underway.

A local ministry, Geauga Faith Rescue Mission, recently presented informal plans for a men’s emergency shelter/transitional housing facility to Chardon Planning Commission.

The ministry is in negotiations to purchase or lease a house on commercial property at 339 Washington St.

“The planning commission was receptive to Geauga Faith Rescue Mission’s proposal to establish a shelter for men in need of immediate housing due to hardships of many varieties,” said City Councilman and Commission member Chris Grau.

“We do have some concerns about the number of men they could provide sleeping quarters to on any given night,” he added. “We also have questions about their plan to provide enough parking on the property. … They would like to house up to 10 men.”

Mission representatives were

referred to Community Development Administrator Steve Yaney to determine whether those issues can be resolved.

Housing is the mostrequested service in the county, based on calls to United Way Geauga’s 211 hotline.

There were 266 such calls from February 2017 to February 2018, and more than 300 during the past 12 months.

That is an increase of more than 15 percent.

Calls for a homeless shelter, specifically, have increased from 51 requests to 77 — up 51 percent.

These numbers only reflect calls received via 211, noted United Way Geauga Executive Director Kimm Leininger.

Currently, those callers must be directed to shelters in other counties.

“As for options, we have nothing in Geauga County for homeless individuals or families,” she said. “The closest thing we have is a program called Next Step for young adults ages 18 to 24, which United Way funds.

“In addition, we have WomenSafe, which houses victims of domestic violence, which again, United Way funds. As for a true homeless shelter, we do not have one.”

She said she was unaware of the GFRM proposal.

The ministry’s mission is to “proclaim Jesus Christ and His Word by providing shelter for the homeless, food for the hungry, drink for the thirsty, clothing for the needy, comfort for the lonely, and hope for the lost,” according to its website.

“There (are) currently homeless men and women in Geauga County that are experiencing great hardship,” said GFRM Board Vice-president Nathan Long. “To rebuild and find affordable housing without community support is very difficult. GFRM will provide loving support and encouragement that will help those that are struggling to regain dignity and direction in life. As a faithbased organization, we will

be sharing the love of God through Jesus Christ with all those that come to us for help. Experiencing the love of God transforms lives and fills us with hope.”

A timeline for the project hasn’t been established.

“It is very important to us that our facility is properly trained and equipped to meet the needs of those that will come to us for assistance,” Long said.

“We would love to see the Men’s Shelter up and running as soon as possible, but we are in need of additional funding and support from our community to make this possible.”

The organization is solely funded by donations, he said. A formal proposal may be submitted in March or April.