An Oasis for Homeless Families in Dayton, Ohio

Written by Jessica Bernstein, Staff Writer, RedCross.org

When Chime Ross was released from the Marysville (Ohio) Correctional Facility in 1997, she never dreamed that in three years she would be named Woman of the Year by Dayton's Metropolitan Civic Women Society. Homeless and with few resources after being incarcerated, Ross attempted to get housing for herself and her children at Mercy Manor, a public housing site in Dayton. No apartments were available and Ross was referred to the Montgomery County Emergency Housing Program run by the Dayton Area Chapter of the American Red Cross. She credits that as a turning point toward following her inspiration and drive to overcome the negative conditions in her life.

DeBrieya, a child in the Emergency Housing Program, enjoys a trip to the museum.

Staff from the Emergency Housing Program (EHP) welcomed Ross and her children with open arms, caring and sensitivity. They served as mentors and nurturers, helping her overcome the effects of prison, drugs and homelessness. Robert Kelley, Jr., Director of the Emergency Housing Program describes that pivotal point in Chime's life, "She was ready to step up to the plate and take her place in the world." Chime is now buying a house and looking forward to going back to school to get a social science degree. She works full time as Assistant Manager at Capital Dry Cleaners. Her goal is to help other women overcome experiences similar to her own.

For more than 20 years, the American Red Cross Emergency Housing Program has been helping people like Chime Ross establish stable living arrangements. The program manages 53 units in a 600-unit public housing complex in Dayton, Ohio. "It's like having a garden in the middle of a desert," explains Kelley. Participating families receive free temporary shelter, clothing and food for up to 60 days. While in the program, the head of household works with a caseworker to secure permanent housing. Caseworkers, all of whom are trained social workers, help clients resolve situations that led to their homelessness in the first place. Clients can also take classes in budgeting, landlord-tenant rights, parenting and nutrition.

Building a Future for Children

Assisting homeless children is a high priority for the Emergency Housing Program. Homelessness can curtail children's social and academic development; EHP enables kids to advance in their studies while they are going through the transition period of being homeless. Two teachers from the Dayton public school system work in an after-school tutoring program for children in grades K through 6. The program has four classrooms, computers and many donated books. Children can participate in tutoring for up to one year after leaving the EHP and moving into permanent housing. Last year the program also provided school supplies, clothes and shoes to 150 children.

Phillip has fun with the puppet he made.

Last summer, EHP launched their first summer reading institute for school-aged children. A certified teacher and a student assistant teacher worked with 10 children for two weeks at a time developing and refining reading skills. At the end of each two-week period, the children put on a creative puppet show that grew out of the books they had read. Each group of children also went on a field trip at the end of their two-week session. Destinations included the zoo, museums and an aquarium. Rosalind Osinubi, a caseworker with the program, describes how she felt while accompanying the children on these trips. "It was rewarding to see the excitement in the children's eyes as they learned new things. Some of these children had never been to a museum or a zoo before."

Respite Care Heals Those Who are Ill

For more than a month, Gary Smith lived in his 1983 Chevy Cavalier hoping the pain in his leg would go away. The pain was so intense that Smith could only bear to work for a few hours at a time.

After two hospital stays, Smith met with a medical social worker who referred him to the respite care apartments run by the American Red Cross and Good Samaritan Hospital. Clients and their families can live for free in these modest two-bedroom apartments until they recover or find permanent housing. Since 1997 when the program began, 16 patients, three of them with families, have lived in these apartments that include washers and dryers, televisions, bunk beds, telephones, and kitchen appliances. The average length of stay is three months. Clients also receive medical supervision, transportation to and from medical and other appointments and assistance in finding permanent housing.

Devoted Alumni Give Back to the Program

Emergency Housing Program alumni are vehement about the difference the program has made in their lives. Neldra Aaron came to the program in 1991 when she had to move out of her home after her son was hospitalized with lead poisoning. A decade later, Aaron is a college student majoring in social work, a mother to four school-age sons, and a caseworker for the Emergency Housing Program. She finds satisfaction in helping homeless families turn their lives around, just as others did for her.

Aaron isn't the only EHP alum who was anxious to give back to the program. Psyche Booker is a mother of three who was receiving Human Service Assistance when she was assigned to the EHP to do her community service work. Booker's work was so impressive that the staff urged her to apply for a secretarial position at EHP. She got the job and is credited as the person responsible for keeping the EHP office running smoothly. Booker is loved by her coworkers not only as an efficient and effective worker but also as a person, mother and friend.

A Spiritual Calling

Renee and Raymond Parker were devastated when a fire left them and their nine children homeless in January of 2000. Their situation looked hopeless because shelters and rental units could not accommodate a family of their size. But things began looking up when Robert Kelley, Jr., director of the Emergency Housing Program got involved. Working with other local agencies, Kelley secured a rental property large enough to house all eleven family members. Assistance with furniture and utilities followed as well as a long-term plan to help the family get back on its feet. According to Parker, "No other shelter in this community had the accommodations to assist a family of our size. Because of this I am forever thankful to the EHP for what they did to help me and my family."

Robert Kelley, Jr. is entering his twentieth year as Director of the American Red Cross Emergency Housing Program. Kelley, who is also a deacon at the Corinthian Missionary Baptist Church, sees his leadership of the EHP as a spiritual calling. The program opened 20 years ago on his birthday and this fall he and other community members proudly celebrated its 20th anniversary. Reflecting on his years with the program, Kelley states, I'm very grateful to the American Red Cross for believing in me and in the EHP staff and allowing us to develop and nurture a homeless program of this magnitude. I look forward to doing bigger and more creative things in the future with the Emergency Housing Program. Thank God for the American Red Cross."