MEDINA, Ohio — News 5 is following through and continuing to highlight under-served communities.
We told you back in the fall that Medina County was preparing to make history.
RELATED: 'We're making history': Medina County set to open first-ever homeless shelter
For the first time, the community is getting a homeless shelter.
The project is nearing completion and is set to open in the very near future.
The shelter will act as a haven for several folks who have never had a place to stay.
Officials say this is so important as they are getting roughly 58 calls a month from those in a housing crisis.
"My staff is excited. I'm nervous because this is a new venture. Not just for us, but for Medina County," Skip Sipos, Executive Director of The Medina Metropolitan Housing Authority, said.
History stands in the brick structure tucked back along Walter Road.
The shelter is called "Next Step Up."
The bright, spacious facility is the next step toward permanent housing for a population many had forgotten existed in Medina County.
"I can't believe it's the first ever because we've had this problem for a long time," Jamie Charlton, a Medina County native, said.
"The more people learn about homeless services, the more comfortable they are coming out to get the resources," Jessie Kane, Program Director of Emergency Housing Programs, said.
From the locker rooms for both men and women to the private bathrooms, the outdoor playground in the courtyard for children, and even dog kennels and cat condos for guests' pets, the goal is to maintain a sense of dignity for everyone staying there.
"Having the pet with them in the shelter allows them to have that sense of joy, that comfort that they're used to. But in a more dignified welcoming environment," Sipos said.
"Being as welcoming and as dignified and being intentional with the colors and the art work and the things that are around here all to make sure that people don't feel like it's an institution," Kane said.
Jamie Charlton knows firsthand the critical need for services and support.
"I had a milk crate and a couch cushion, and I didn't deserve that. No one does," Charlton said.
The mother of two says her world was turned upside down more than a decade ago as addiction took a choke hold on her every being.
"I was a registered nurse, had two kids, house, car, the whole shebang. Got a terrible kidney stone, and I was literally addicted to pain meds in about five days," Charlton said.
She lost everything, became homeless and lived on the streets fighting for her life and longing for a shelter in Medina County.
She wound up in jail.
Eventually, Charlton says she found sobriety and clarity.
She says that if "Next Step Up" had existed back then and even decades prior, countless lives could have been potentially changed for the better.
"There's gonna be people to help you and that's something that I didn't have. These services are major," Charlton said.
The space will offer temporary housing for 27 guests.
This covers both adults and children.
Critical on-site support services are at the center's core.
Officials say the goal is to create a foundation for those struggling to get back on their feet and show that there is a "next step up" toward a new chapter in life.
"We've also added staff so we have our shelter case manager and our shelter manager on staff now who are in the process of training," Kane said.
"It's gonna give them a whole new chance at life," Charlton said.
The Medina Metropolitan Housing Authority has assisted 127 households this past year.
They expect that number to surge due to inflation, home value costs and the state of addiction in Northeast Ohio.
Next Step Up in Medina is set to open in the very near future.
They are seeking volunteers to help support the space.
For more information, click here.
