homeless

For the first time in several years, Cincinnati's winter shelter for the homeless will be located in one facility.

The new Barron Center for Men in Queensgate has 200 beds in a 10,000 sq. ft. square foot area.  It features separate restroom facilities for men and women, a lobby area for new intakes, and two intake offices.

Preliminary information shows the number of homeless people in Cincinnati and Hamilton County declined slightly during a point-in-time count last month.  

The Department of Housing and Urban Development requires communities to make the count once a year during the last week of January.  

Kevin Finn with Strategies to End Homelessness said this year there 1,029 people counted compared to 1,043 last year.

**UPDATE 1-29-15** Strategies to End Homelessness has secured $15.3 million dollars from a HUD grant.  

A press release from the group on Wednesday says Hamilton County and Cincinnati are sharing in $1.8 billion in grants to be distributed nationwide,  announced in the last week.  

Two companies that would be neighbors of the relocated Drop Inn Center in Queensgate are expressing concerns about the plan.  

A city council committee heard from proponents of the plan two weeks ago, and Tuesday it heard from representatives of two companies that say they need more information.  

Richard Posey is with K4, an architecture, design and construction firm with a facility in Queensgate.  He said one issue is security and safety for employees.

Construction on the new Drop Inn Center could begin later this summer and the facility could be open in August 2015.  It will be moving from its current location in Over-the-Rhine to Queensgate.

A Cincinnati Council committee received an update on the project Tuesday from Executive Director Arlene Nolan.  She said several sites were considered before one was selected.

Cincinnati Council is asking city administrators to find $30,000 for the emergency winter shelter for this season.  

Various groups operate the program including the Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition.  Executive Director Josh Spring addressed Council's Budget and Finance Committee Thursday.

“Last year 600 different people came through the winter shelter’s doors,” Spring said.

Spring said this year the groups are having trouble raising money for the program.

The Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition is suing the Hamilton County Sheriff's Department over a policy to remove the homeless from the courthouse steps. Commission executive director Josh Spring says Sheriff Jim Neil's department will start threatening arrest this week. Spring wants to wait until after the winter shelters open in a month and a half.

The Sheriff and Major Charmaine McGuffey were guests on Cincinnati Edition today where the sheriff's homeless strategy was one of the topics. McGuffey said the department  has been patient.

The Hamilton County Sheriff is rolling out a three phase approach to combating what has been a continuing problem at county buildings, and especially the courthouse, dozens of homeless people sleeping and defecating on the property.