In May, the nonprofit closed one of two of its emergency shelters following the cancellation of a portion of a $700,000 contract with the county. A week later, Sheltered Inc. announced it would end services at Woodford Apartments, which housed 27 individuals who would need to find a new place to live.
Bradley said its Hartley House shelters single men, women and families with one full-time and one part-time emergency shelter case manager, two full-time shelter staff, four part-time shelter staff, one full-time intake staff and one part-time intake staff.
The intake office is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, Bradley said.
Bradley said OIC is housing 14 households with 30 households on a waiting list and Clark County Department of Jobs and Family Services is providing emergency non-congregate shelter to seven.
Clark County Department of Jobs and Family Services Director Ginny Martycz said the Homelessness Task Force, which is made up of governmental and nonprofit organizations, is looking at the implications of Sheltered Inc.’s daytime closure. She said the group is trying to find places for people to go during the 12-hour period because there are no existing programs through the county.
Martycz said the biggest issue is finding a department that has funding for a new program for these people.
In an email to city and county officials obtained by the Springfield News-Sun, St. Vincent de Paul executive director Casey Rollins wrote she learned many Sheltered Inc. residents are spending 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. in their cars in nearby parking lots as they have no other place to go. She said St. Vincent de Paul is too occupied in their work with the county’s immigrant population to be a place for people to go.
The Salvation Army of Springfield is doing its best to help people who stay at Hartley House, and has seen more people coming to its drop-in center on Tuesdays and Thursdays in recent weeks, said Jamie Scanlon, director of social ministry. About 20 people come in from 1 to 3 p.m. to play games, listen to music, socialize and eat a hot meal.
Scanlon said the Salvation Army also has a food pantry open every other Thursday and can provide transportation to St. Vincent de Paul shelters in Dayton if the Clark County shelters are full. She said about three weeks ago the nonprofit took a man to a Dayton shelter and has heard that he is doing well.
The nonprofit also has educational classes available by appointment and the ability to give rent and utility assistance once a year and one SCAT bus pass annually that gives 10 rides per year, Scanlon said.
The Salvation Army holds a summer day camp for children with disabilities and taekwondo classes twice a week, so Scanlon said this can give some children a place to go.
Scanlon said Sheltered Inc. and the Salvation Army are sharing a resource list with people in need of a place to stay, which includes churches in the county that provide food and clothing, food pantries, places to get a hot meal a shelter for victims of domestic violence and human trafficking and monetary assistance from different agencies.
People who need more resources can call 211 to be directed to the appropriate agency, Scanlon said.
“We’re fortunate to live in Springfield because there are a lot of resources and community members who really care, so [people in need] can get in touch with these resources and they can help,” Scanlon said. “You only know what you know, so we really got to get that information out to them.”
A memo sent to Sheltered Inc. by the Clark County Department of Job and Family Services on Feb. 23 said the contract termination occurred after a review by staff from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, which identified issues with documentation.
The commission approved a sub-grant agreement with the nonprofit Sheltered Inc., formerly called Interfaith Hospitality Network, in June 2021. It awarded $700,000 in federal funding through the Ohio DJFS’ TANF fund.
Clark County Public Information Officer Mike Cooper said in May that Sheltered Inc. was reimbursed about $495,000 from the beginning of the contract until its termination.
Prevention, Retention and Contingency, or PRC, is a program through Ohio DJFS that provides work support and other services to low-income families. This program is funded through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), a federally funded program.
People eligible for assistance through PRC include parents of children younger than 18 and pregnant women and teens. Services covered through PRC are: clothing and shelter, domestic violence housing relocation assistance, disaster assistance, transportation, employment and training.
The Springfield City Commission in April approved an up to $1.34 million agreement with Dayton-based nonprofit Homefull to provide housing, health, access to food, employment resources and more, a deal initially intended to go to Sheltered Inc.
The city plans to use the Executive Inn site as a non-congregate shelter while it brings the Villager Inn space back online. The temporary shelter will then be phased out, according to the city.
Bradley said Sheltered Inc. continues to be dedicated to helping those experiencing homelessness in Clark County.
“Sheltered, Inc. does not have the necessary resources to help all of those that need our help. We must get help from the community to address the increasing need and reopen the 24-hour emergency homeless shelters that have provided our community a vital service for over 30 years,” Bradley said in an email.
About the Author