Coalition seeks to help those facing shelter insecurity

Sheri Trusty
·3 min read
Mollie Avers, Ottawa County OSU Extension educator, told attendees of the Housing Coalition Kickoff that, like many locals, she didn’t realize there are many people living without homes in the county.
Mollie Avers, Ottawa County OSU Extension educator, told attendees of the Housing Coalition Kickoff that, like many locals, she didn’t realize there are many people living without homes in the county.

PORT CLINTON - Mollie Avers was formerly employed as a schoolteacher in Toledo, where she had a front row view of poverty. Today, she works as an Ottawa County Ohio State University Extension Educator and lives in Elmore, where the plight of people without homes to live in is no longer a daily sight. Like many, Avers didn’t know that shelter insecurity is an issue in Ottawa County.

“I taught in Toledo, so I saw kids struggling. You can see it there. You see people with shopping carts filled with all their belongings,” Avers said. “I live in Elmore, so I didn’t realize it was a problem because I don’t see it in Elmore.”

Because shelter insecurity isn’t readily visible in the county, it is often not recognized nor discussed. That changed when Leadership Ottawa County partnered with Salvation Army Port Clinton Service Center Director Kami Sayre to host the Housing Coalition Kickoff event at LogistiQ on March 30. The event brought together representatives from a wide range of county agencies to discuss the issue of shelter insecurity and create a housing coalition to address the problem moving forward.

'Find a space where they can make a difference'

Leadership Ottawa County is an annual program that brings local leaders together for networking and exposure to the county. Each year, the group chooses a benevolence project.

“They come together once a month to learn about Ottawa County and find a space where they can make a difference,” said Leadership Ottawa County Director Carrie Sanchez.

Kami Sayre, Salvation Army Port Clinton Service Center director, said people in an emergency housing crisis come into the center for help every week. Her compassion for people struggling with shelter insecurity spurred the creation of a Housing Coalition.
Kami Sayre, Salvation Army Port Clinton Service Center director, said people in an emergency housing crisis come into the center for help every week. Her compassion for people struggling with shelter insecurity spurred the creation of a Housing Coalition.

This year’s group will focus on shelter insecurity. The impetus for that choice came during a visit to the Salvation Army where Sayre shared stories of real people without homes. Prior to joining the Salvation Army last year, Sayre had spent years working in the health care and social services fields.

“Even with all the hats I’ve worn, I didn’t see the issue of shelter insecurity here,” Sayre said. “I have someone in an emergency housing crisis come in every single week.”

Sayre’s compassion encouraged Leadership Ottawa County members to address the issue.

“Kami was very helpful in spurring us on,” said Leadership member Stephanie Cavanaugh. “The goal is to bring agencies together to have deep discussions about housing insecurity in Ottawa County.”

During the Housing Coalition Kickoff, attendees heard true stories of local people who had nowhere to live, like the elderly couple whose rent unexpectedly quadrupled, the family living in a campground in the winter without utilities, and the recent high school graduate whose mother moved into her boyfriend’s home and refused to let her daughter move with her.

“There is no typical person dealing with shelter insecurity. They are all different,” Sayre said.

One of the key objectives in addressing the housing issue is rejecting the stereotypes and recognizing the real people behind those stories. After spending week after week looking into the eyes of frightened people without homes, Sayre asked the group to understand “the importance of our words.”

Fighting the stigma attached to the word 'homeless'

She said there is too much stigma associated with the word “homeless,” and she is trying to change the culture of the issue by using the phrase “shelter insecurity.” A person without a home is not defined by their housing situation, she said.

Leadership Ottawa County member Stephanie Cavanaugh talks about shelter insecurity with Mircea Handru, executive director of the Mental Health and Recovery Services Board of Seneca, Ottawa, Sandusky and Wyandot counties.
Leadership Ottawa County member Stephanie Cavanaugh talks about shelter insecurity with Mircea Handru, executive director of the Mental Health and Recovery Services Board of Seneca, Ottawa, Sandusky and Wyandot counties.

“I don’t refer to you as a ‘homed person’ because your living situation doesn’t define you,” Sayre said.

At the kickoff event, dozens of leaders opened the door on a new era in Ottawa County where locals can speak openly of their neighbors without homes without judgment.

“It’s heartbreaking to learn that, for so long, we never talked about it,” Avers said. “Now I drive past the campgrounds and wonder if people live there. I think, 'I wander if the school bus stops there to pick up kids.’”

The public is invited to the next Housing Coalition meeting on at 9 a.m. April 20 at Joyful Connections, 8200 W. Ohio 163 in Oak Harbor. For more information, contact Stephanie Cavanaugh at 567-262-3651.

Contact correspondent Sheri Trusty at sheritrusty4@gmail.com.

This article originally appeared on Fremont News-Messenger: Housing Coalition works to define plight in Ottawa County