Dec. 22—EDITOR’S NOTE — This is one in a series looking at what Lake County communities and agencies experienced in 2023 and what is facing them in 2024.

Project Hope for the Homeless provided plenty of assistance in 2023 to people in Northeast Ohio who don’t have a regular or traditional place to call home.

The shelter, located at 25 Freedom Road in Painesville Township, served about 300 people through November, said Community Engagement Director John Hutchison.

In addition, about 70 people had participated in the shelter’s after-care program during the first 11 months of 2023.

“So I think it’s fair to say we’ll serve close to 400 people this year,” Hutchison said.

He noted that the anticipated number of total guests would represent an increase from 2022.

“The demand for our services continues to be strong,” Hutchison said. “We are nearly full most nights.”

Project Hope for the Homeless, which operates 365 days a year, provides emergency shelter and related services for men, women and children.

The shelter is designed with separate wings for adults and for parents and their children. Up to 50 beds a night are available for guests.

While some people arrive looking simply for a place to stay or because they’re hungry, the shelter aims to provide all guests with a more well-rounded program.

“What we’re really trying to do is to give them the tools so they can be self-sufficient,” Hutchison said.

Professional staff members help guests to set and achieve goals, and/or provide them with referrals to address mental or physical health issues; substance abuse problems; or finding a job.

Receiving this kind of guidance allows guests “to really get to the root of what has caused their homelessness,” Hutchison said.

“And when they can really work on that, and gain the skills and the tools to be able to be self-sufficient, they don’t have to be homeless ever again,” he said. “And that’s a really powerful thing for people.”

With Project Hope for the Homeless meeting guests’ basic needs during their stays — such as meals, a safe place to sleep and transportation tokens for vital daytime appointments — it’s easier for these people to focus more clearly on pursuing life-changing goals.

Project Hope for the Homeless also offers an after-care program that aims to supply guests with long-term, additional support after they leave the shelter. Program services include educational workshops; assessments and referrals for rental subsidies; and case management in the form of calls, visits or special mailings.

In addition, the shelter operates the Welcome Home program. Through this initiative, the shelter assists guests by providing them with free household items or furnishings when they move into their own residences.

“A lot of people are starting over and have nothing,” Hutchison said. “They have a place to go, but nothing to put in it.”

The shelter is adding an extra dimension to the program through its new Welcome Home Center.

Hutchison said that is a 700-square-foot building that Project Hope for the Homeless recently constructed on its own property.

When the center officially opens, it will serve as a storage area that provides easier access to guests who want to obtain items through the Welcome Home program.

“In the past, we have provided those (household items and furnishings),” Hutchison said. “Most of the time those things were in our basement, but it’s very cumbersome to go down there.”

He said the Welcome Home Center also will allow guests to browse in a more comfortable atmosphere, and take time to choose household items or furnishings that they want.

Project Hope for the Homeless also seeks to track the progress made by guests after they leave the shelter. This year, through November, the shelter has achieved an 85 percent positive transition rate of guests moving into their own homes or entering in-person behavioral health care treatment within an average stay of 35 days.

With a shortage of affordable rental housing in Lake County and the fact that many guests face mental health issues, Hutchison said it’s “very remarkable (for Project Hope for the Homeless) to have (an 85 percent) positive transition rate.”

It also marked a milestone in 2023, as it celebrated its 30th anniversary.

Looking ahead to 2024, Hutchison said Project Hope for the Homeless wants to continue providing a high level of care to guests; and keep helping them to transform their lives for the future.

“We’ve been doing this for 30 years and have a really good track record on being able to help people and to change lives,” he said.