Now the Coalition for a Healthy Middletown is hoping a town hall meeting provides the “jumping point” toward addressing the homeless population in the community, said DeAnna Shores, project coordinator.
She said numerous “experts” from Middletown agencies and organizations have been invited to participate in the State of Homelessness in Middletown public meeting from 6-7:30 p.m. Thursday in the Miami University Middletown Community Center.
She said the coalition became involved in homelessness after a “perfect storm,” when the organization was restructured to address all “major issues” in the community and the city of Middletown continued seeking solutions from hiring unarmed security guards downtown to opening a warming center to considering buying pallet homes for the homeless.
Shores doesn’t expert the meeting to generate a “solution” for the issue, but rather an opportunity to “look at the big picture” and to seek opinions and answer questions.
For the meeting to be successful, it must be “community led,” she said.
“Everyone has a lot of ideas, opinions and myths,” she said. “They look at homelessness through different lenses.”
She hopes those who attend bring “solid and sound ideas.”
In the last two years, as the homeless population has continued growing in Middletown, an $11.4 million homeless center for men was built, and this year, a three-month warming center opened that the city funded with a $95,000 grant.
During a recent City Council Strategic Planning Session, Palenick said the city was considering using more than $900,000 of its American Rescue Plan Act funds to purchase portable pallet homes that would provide the homeless a safe and comfortable transitional place to live and receive services.
The Hope House men’s shelter is located at 1001 Grove St. The facility replaced the 150-year-old former U.S. Hotel on Main Street and it includes a 50-bed emergency shelter for men and 30 one-bedroom apartments for the chronically homeless, said Tim Williams, executive director of operations at Hope House Mission.
The warming center is located at 1009 Grove St. Erica Norton, chief operating officer for The Mindful Healing Center, which is running the warming center, said it operates from 5 p.m. to 7 a.m. seven days a week through April 30. That means the cost of operating the center will be about $1,000 a day.
HOW TO GO
WHAT: State of Homelessness in Middletown Hall meeting
WHEN: 6-7:30 p.m. Thursday
WHERE: Miami University Middletown Community Room
MORE INFORMATION: deanna@safetycouncilswohio.org
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