Michael Bernat, executive director of the Westside Catholic Center, briefed the Cuyahoga County Health and Human Services and Aging Committee Wednesday on how ARPA funding has supported the agency’s resource center, shelter and housing navigation work.

Bernat said the center — a 47‑year nonprofit based in the Ohio City neighborhood — used ARPA funds primarily to shore up its resource center, which provides meals, day‑shelter services, showers, mailing services and social programming. “We serve all who come in need of food, shelter, clothing, advocacy, and a path to self sufficiency,” Bernat said.

Bernat told the committee the center operates Mariah House, a 34‑bed family emergency shelter; seven beds are designated for female veterans through VA placements. He said the coordinated‑intake waiting list across the county’s three family shelters was 76 families as of the day before the meeting, and he clarified that the 76 figure is for the system, not just Mariah House: “the 76 is not just for Mariah House alone. It's amongst the 3 family shelters,” Bernat said.

ARPA funds were directed largely to the center’s resource program, Bernat said, and have also enabled staffing changes. The agency moved one staff member into a full‑time housing navigator role to focus on getting unsheltered and high‑barrier individuals into permanent housing. Bernat said that housing navigator has found permanent housing for 25 people through three quarters of the year. He said the resource center’s program budget had already surpassed $700,000 through three quarters and was budgeted at about $750,000 for the full year.

Bernat outlined other programs the center operates: Zacchaeus Housing Solutions (a HUD‑funded housing program with partner agency Eden), family engagement services grounded in the Strengthening Families framework, a state‑funded Family Success Network supported by the Ohio Children’s Trust Fund (a pilot in year three), and workforce development tracks. He said the center employs 32 full‑time and 16 part‑time staff and relies on roughly 150 weekly volunteers.

Bernat also said the center suspended operations of a training pizza shop in August because it was operating at a loss; the center still owns the business and building and is exploring partnerships.

On housing development, Bernat said an earlier plan to acquire 14 units for program participants was put on hold because leadership turnover and acquisition costs made the project fiscally risky; the organization is open to partnering with agencies that already own and manage housing to secure units for its clients.

Committee members urged Bernat to apply for county supplemental community block grant dollars and other housing funding streams. Council members also praised the center’s work moving people from street‑level outreach to permanent housing and emphasized the ongoing need for private landlords willing to accept vouchers and work with providers.

Bernat closed by thanking the council for ARPA support and said the center will continue to pursue funding and partnerships to expand housing pathways for people experiencing homelessness.