MEDINA, Ohio — As one of the largest counties in Northeast Ohio without an emergency homeless shelter, leaders in Medina County are quick to point out it's time to change that.
"We want the shelter to be a place for folks to stay that would be temporary and rare," said Skip Sipos, Medina Metropolitan Housing Authority Executive Director.
Sipos detailed how $2 million has been raised for a facility to be built beginning later this year on Walter Street in Medina, with resources on hand to help those find their footing.
"We’re actually renovating the housing authority's former office into the shelter, which will have 26 beds," he said. "It will serve men, women, children and pets. Pets being a barrier oftentimes to people who want to accept shelter."
On any given night, 11,386 Ohioans do not have a place to stay, according to the 2023 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report to Congress.
That homeless population is up almost 7% compared to a year ago.
Jamie Charlton remembers how isolating it felt being homeless and looking for a place to get warm, whether it was a nearby restaurant or even the library.
"It's not always a guy pushing the cart down the street," she said. "We’re all just one or two paychecks away from disaster really. You never rest. You never fully rest when you’re homeless."
It's been six years since she lived that way, but Charlton told News 5 she hasn't forgotten the feeling and hopes projects like this will make the path back to success a little easier.
"For me, it would have changed everything," she said. "I wanted a way out. And I just think this would help give people a way out. It’s a vicious circle and an awful thing to be in and you don’t know how to get out. You can’t."
Organizers told News 5 they hope to break ground later this year and open the shelter in January 2025.
