Editor’s note: Please visit this link to also read about the new guide book on surviving family homelessness, co-authored by Diane Nilan and Diana Bowman at https://3melissas.org/
Oh, CRAP, NO!” was my initial reaction reading the news story about a shelter program in Springfield, OH that instantly ousted 70 kids, about 22 families, from the hotel that had been their shelter. This hardscrabble Ohio city of 58,000 now can boast that its leaders saved some bucks at the expense of their families.
My primary reaction reflects my dismay at what happens to these families when they are rousted from their temporary place of refuge. Instantly. Without time to pack or prepare their kids for what’s next. They were shuffled to a city bus and were being “re-homed” by the same people who un-homed them.
My secondary reaction was also “oh crap” because I can’t help but feel the need to go up there to chronicle this fiasco, despite being busy with launching our book, The Three Melissas — The Practical Guide to Surviving Family Homelessness. Someone’s got to call attention to what happens to families when these upheavals happen. I did the same thing in Nov. ’22 when the District Attorney in Hamilton County, TN — in the Chattanooga area — abruptly emptied the Budget Inn.
Despite my not really having time to take off for Ohio, I can and I must. I’m not going up there to solve their crisis, though my copious experience running shelters and heading a state homeless advocacy organization gives me a bit of know-how. I’m going up to see if any of the families impacted by this unannounced eviction want to share their thoughts about it. That’s what I’ve been doing for the past 20 years.
Homeless families often live like this
Imagine, if you can, living in a hotel room with 3–4 kids, including a diaper-clad infant and a fussy toddler. A knock on your door early morning disturbs your hectic routine just as you were figuring how to get your preschooler and first grader registered for school. You had lost your fickle housing (staying with your cousin in her crowded house) after you and the father of your youngest split up. You left before your cousin would get evicted for overcrowding.
The ironically named Executive Inn wasn’t bad. At least you could lock your door. A bunch of kids stay here. But now you’re all being pushed towards a city bus that will take you to register for a different place to stay. You had to hurry to shove your stuff in the garbage bags the stranger handed you. You left behind a bunch of stuff, including your baby’s hygiene items and your other kids’ toys and clothes. And probably more than that. But your kids were crying, hungry, and you were crying, too.
Shuffled from one room to the next
What this mom and the rest of the domestic refugees don’t realize is they’re going from having 24-hour private shelter to a 12-hour congregate shelter. That’s like going from the Ritz to the no-tell-motel. But worse, because these families have likely experienced a bunch of trauma along the path of homelessness, so this major disruption is adding to their anxiety.
Imagine, if you can, living in a hotel room with 3–4 kids, including a diaper-clad infant and a fussy toddler. A knock on your door early morning disturbs your hectic routine . . .
And it’s back to school time, which makes things harder for the kids who may have been planning on returning to their previous schools. Their school supplies and clothing likely got left behind in the shuffle.
Homelessness is a humanitarian crisis
I’ve read what was behind this humanitarian crisis. I don’t know all the facts. I contacted Mayor Rob Rue, expressing my dismazement at the way these families were treated. He wrote back right away, agreeing with me and welcoming my inquiry. His vote to not oust the families and that of Commissioner Houston fell short with a 3–2 decision being enough to empty the hotel/shelter that was being overseen by the ironically named agency, Homefull.
It appears the writing is on the wall for Sheltered Inc., the agency absorbing the families from Executive Inn. According to a recent news story by WYSO,
“Sheltered Inc., which serves Clark County, has reduced hours and staff at its family shelter and men’s shelter. The family shelter now runs from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. The organization had already reduced hours at the men’s shelter earlier this year after recent funding cuts.”
One of the commissioners, Dr. Estrop, the former school superintendent for the Springfield City School District, who voted to close the motel, evidently wrestled with his decision.
“Commissioners several times expressed concerns that if the resolution were to fail, residents of the Executive Inn would be kicked out and put onto the street. Estrop said he decided to vote no to save the more than $1 million — though the funds come from a federal source — and that he was putting his faith in Sheltered Inc.” — Springfield News-Sun, Aug. 6, ’24
So, an abrupt 3–2 vote can push families to the street when they’ve done nothing to deserve that punishment. Federal dollars can offset the cost of the shelter program, but the former school superintendent felt it was fine to let families go without a place to be for 12 hours a day. That’s cold. Or it will be in a couple months. Now it’s miserable, no matter the weather.
I’d vote for the commissioners who made this barbaric decision to spend days and a few nights for good measure, on the streets with a bunch of crying miserable kids.
Homelessness creation should come at a cost for those who create it.
Diane Nilan has devoted her life to advocating for and presenting the real face of homelessness in America, focussing on families and children. She has more than three decades of experience running shelters; advocating for improved state and federal policies; filming/producing award-winning documentaries. Her latest work is the book, Dismazed and Driven: My Look at Family Homelessness in America/
