Operation HOMES thankful for donations amid housing shortage

MEDINA — "We've seen this kind of demand but I don't know if we've ever seen this kind of desperation," said Operation HOMES chairman Bruce Turner Sunday. "We talk with good, honest people all the time who simply have nowhere else to go. They just want a chance to break a cycle that's easier to get caught up in than most people think." Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing closures of local churches, the Medina-based organization has been forced to house clients experiencing homelessness in local motels. Such facilities had only previously been used to isolate people showing signs of sickness. That new expense has essentially doubled a yearly budget that sits around $35,000 in typical years with funds garnered solely through fundraisers and donations. In a relentlessly atypical year, Turner said Operation HOMES is currently at its housing capacity. "Right now, we're helping seven client families staying in seven rooms," he said. "Those include a family with a seven-year-old daughter and a woman who is pregnant and has had some difficulties with that. Sadly, we can only afford so many rooms. The churches have taken a lot of pressure off of us by providing meal service. We're very thankful for that." This past week, Operation HOMES requested a donation of coats from the Medina County community on its Facebook page, a call that Turner said was enthusiastically answered. "Since we don't have a building, we told everyone to take them to the Medina Salvation Army," he said. "They're being picked up tomorrow. I haven't seen them myself yet but, from what I've been told, it was just a great show of generosity from our residents. We've gotten used to that over the years. This really is a great community with so many people who want to help." Turner said current clients will be among those who put the coats to use. He also thanked Wadsworth's Marian's Closet, Inc., 154 East St., for its recent clothing donations. Those wishing to inquire about Operation HOMES services are urged to contact case manager Janet Grasso at (330)590-1675. Donations and program referrals can be made at https://www.operationhomes.org. A spring report released by the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio painted a grim picture of the state's homeless shelter housing capacity. Key findings in the study, dubbed "Double Jeopardy," included 87 percent of Ohio shelters not having enough space to isolate and quarantine clients showing COVID-19 symptoms, 79 percent lacking the ability to provide financial assistance to clients to reduce new admissions, 71 percent not having enough sanitation and hygiene supplies and 65 percent needing to cut back on services due to recent losses of staff and volunteers. "There isn't enough affordable housing in Medina County," said Turner. "To be fair, I guess that's not a problem that's unique to Medina County. People were having a hard time making it through the year even before COVID. There are great needs that have to be filled." "So many people who are homeless don't look like the stereotype we've always been shown," he added. "They often look just like you and I. It's very easy to not be able to find work because you don't have transportation and not be able to find transportation because you don't have a job. It's also hard to work when you can't eat or eat when you can't work. It becomes like a dog chasing its tail. No one deserves to be stuck in that." Contact reporter Jonathan Delozier at (330) 721-4050 or jdelozier@medina-gazette.com.