“It’s really two projects in one,” Williams said. “On one side we have a 50-bed men’s temporary shelter and on the other side there will be 30 permanent supportive apartments.”
Those apartments will be available as men transition from the temporary shelter into an apartment that will be based on income limits. Williams said those men will have to apply for a housing voucher from Butler Metropolitan Housing Authority as well as apply to Hope House to obtain an apartment.
The apartment will feature a bedroom, individual bathroom and walk-in closet and will also have individually controlled HVAC systems. On the apartment side of the facility, there will be 15 units on each floor. Williams said each floor will have an ADA compliant apartment as well as laundry room and a day room with a small kitchen and place to eat their meals.
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The new Hope House will also feature in-house counseling and social services and other resources, he said. The facility will be staffed with full-time nurses and a doctor will also make periodic visits each week.
Williams said 90 percent of the men who end up at Hope House are substance abuse addicts, have mental health issues, or both.
The sizes of the dorm rooms in the temporary shelter will hold, four, six or eight clients who will sleep in bunk beds, each with a drawer to store personal items. There will be bathrooms with showers, a cafeteria, chapel, commercial kitchen and a larger intake area. In the intake area, clients can do paperwork get a shower and switch into temporary scrubs while they launder their clothing before being assigned a dorm room.
Williams said the temporary shelter will have an area where and entire homeless family can stay together that includes a separate bathroon/shower area.
The facility will also house administrative offices for staff. Hope House is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cincinnati-based City Gospel Mission.
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“It’s very exciting,” Williams said. “We’re serving our purpose and getting off of Main Street, which is important to the city.”
The faith-based nonprofit also operates a women’s shelter on Girard Avenue. Williams said the organization made the mens shelter a priority since the building on Main Street was sold. He said the organization will address the women’s shelter at a later date
“We’re very excited about the revitalization of downtown Middletown,” he said.
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