The Cleveland Hostel is opening its doors as a seasonal homeless shelter this winter, as advocates look for socially distant ways to house people during the continuing coronavirus pandemic.
Homeless service providers told Cleveland City Council on Monday they needed more space close to downtown that could handle a sudden influx of people seeking shelter. The hostel, on West 25th Street in the Ohio City neighborhood, fit the bill.
The 60-bed hostel opened Dec. 1, the day of last week鈥檚 snowstorm, Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry鈥檚 Michael Sering said. So far, 33 people have stayed there each night, on average.
Service providers have tried to 鈥渄econcentrate鈥� local shelters in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
With help from , housing providers have booked hotel rooms those who have tested positive for COVID-19 or have underlying health conditions, county Office of Homeless Services Director Melissa Sirak said. The county has also purchased gift cards to help homeless Clevelanders meet basic needs while staying with friends or family.
鈥淎s we laid out this cold-weather plan, we鈥檙e not necessarily sure who to expect this year,鈥� Sirak said.
The Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless (NEOCH) has expanded its numbers of street outreach workers this year, said Director Chris Knestrick. Since March, NEOCH has seen a 30 percent decrease in unsheltered people in the area, he said.
鈥淭he great news we have here is that we are connecting with folks, we鈥檙e identifying folks that are unsheltered, and that there鈥檚 less folks out there, but there鈥檚 also an increase in seasonal shelter capacity,鈥� Knestrick said.
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