Highland County Homeless Shelter

Highland County Homeless Shelter

2015 A Year in Review

The Highland County Homeless Shelter, established in 2004, is located in Hillsboro, Ohio and is a 501(c) (3) non-profit emergency homeless shelter. Capacity is 28 beds, and the shelter serves single men, single women, and families with children. The shelter is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and offers clients safe, temporary shelter for up to 90 days. We provide a complete case-managed program that assists the client with overcoming the barriers which led them to homelessness. These services include but are not limited to benefit application assistance for SNAP, Medicaid, TANF, SSI / SSDI, Veteran’s Services, and many more. Assistance with resume writing, employment search, GED procurement, budgeting and finance, food and nutrition, medical appointments and prescriptions, parenting classes, and general life skills are provided. Rapid-Rehousing programs are available to aid a client in securing stable housing, and referrals for mental health, addiction, domestic violence, veterans, and youth services are provided while at the shelter. Bedding, clothing, toiletries, and all food are provided during the clients stay, allowing them to have a safe, secure, stable environment to begin to rebuild their lives.
As our local economy improves, the scarcity of full-time employment, affordable housing, and lack of transportation, continues to be the main barriers that keep our clients from moving forward. Transitional and permanent supportive housing is a necessity in Highland County. Currently, we are utilizing the Housing First Model which reduces a client’s stay at the shelter and increases their chances of being positively housed. That said, this is a temporary program and is not meant to sustain a client long-term. In 2015, the Highland County Homeless Shelter provided shelter for 130 clients, 4,453 nights stayed at the shelter, with an 80% success rate of assisting our clients into housing; in addition to, providing 21,996 meals and snacks to our clients. We are already seeing increases in the homeless population for 2016, based on statistical information being collected by the shelter.
2015, was a good year, we would not be able to serve those in need without the support of the community, local churches, volunteers, practicum students, businesses, and the shelter board members. Funding and donations are vital to the Highland County Homeless Shelters success. The shelter employs 2 full-time employees Melanie Overbee, Administrative Director and I; we are both on call twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. This allows us to keep our overhead low and provide additional services to our clients. The Highland County Homeless Shelter is seeking monetary donations for our 2016 capital campaign. Information and updates about the shelter can be found at www.hcshelter.org, Facebook, and Twitter. Your generosity will make a difference in our community by permitting us to continue our work with those in needs.

Thank you in advance for your support. Greg Hawkins, Executive Director