Short North program to connect homeless with social services expands to five days a week

A pilot program to provide social services to homeless people in Columbus' Short North is expanding to five days a week beginning Thursday.

The effort by the Short North Alliance and Southeast Healthcare began as a two-day-a-week pilot program in August and then was stretched to three days a week in October, with teams linking people with emergency housing, clothes, food, health and mental health care, and substance abuse programs, said Betsy Pandora, executive director of the Short North Alliance.

The five-day-a-week program will last a year, she said.

“There is an incredible need we’ve been experiencing, individuals experiencing hard times and challenges,” Pandora said.

Meanwhile, a Downtown warming center for homeless people has been opened since Nov. 1 at the Broad Street United Methodist Church, the third winter for the center at 501 E. Broad St.

Josh Posten of the Columbus Coalition for the Homeless, which provides services in the church's gym, said more than 50 people were served Thanksgiving dinner, with "lots and lots of food," including six turkeys.

Since the beginning of November, the center has served close to 200 people, about half of whom are new to the program, he said. Mount Carmel Outreach has provided help, among others, he said. The center is funded in part through a $50,000 grant from the city.

More:City of Columbus gives Near East Side homeless camp residents until end of month to leave

In the Short North, the city provided a $500,000 grant to the Short North Alliance for the pilot program and current program expansion.

Pandora said about 70 people have received some sort of help through hundreds of encounters with the teams. She said the expansion to five days a week isn’t because of the holiday season but the need.

“The cold weather months, these are the times the shelters really fill up,” she said.

Steven Veilleux, an owner of Emergent Art and Craft at 14 E. Lincoln St., said he appreciates the effort but would like to see more.

“We have not had any issues with aggressive panhandlers. We understand that the Short North Alliance is making its best effort to try and address the homeless population in the Short North,” Veilleux said.

But he said he thinks the city needs to create a more comprehensive approach and provide more resources for people “to address the issues unhoused people of Columbus are dealing with.”

“They have been forced into an unhoused situation,” he said.

More:Franklin County homeless shelter population up, challenged by lack of affordable housing

Marcia Evans, who owns Marcia Evans Gallery at 8 Lincoln St., said she sees one homeless individual sitting or lying outside her business. “It’s more prevalent,” she said.

Emma Traylor, manager at Global Gifts, said he had heard about the program and believes it would be more beneficial by expanding the outreach to five days a week. “It gives more resources to the community,” said Traylor, who said she hasn’t had issues with homeless people coming into her store.

Hal Thomas, engagement specialist coordinator for Southeast, said there have been two shifts working from about 8 to 10:30 a.m. and 4 to 6 or 7 p.m. Those hours will be expanded as the days increase.

Thomas said people who panhandle gravitate to such places as the Short North because they believe they'll find generous people with money.

"The Short North has taken a real positive approach to this as far as getting these persons the help they need," Thomas said. "I’m surprised at the number of people that say yes. People are sick, victims of trauma. We just can’t correct it immediately.

"You find a lot of people don’t trust the system. Definitely engaging them and trying to gain their trust is the main challenge," he said.

mferench@dispatch.com

@MarkFerenchik

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Program to connect Short North homeless to social services expands