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Homewardbound tells Wooster City Council its shelter has provided nearly 6,000 bed nights since February
Summary
Homewardbound board members told the Wooster City Council that the nonprofit opened a 44-bed shelter in February 2025 and has provided 5,955 bed nights, nearly 20,000 meals last year and an expanding day program. Staff and volunteers are confronting capacity and care-level challenges, officials said.
Charlie Brain, president of the board of Homewardbound, told the Wooster City Council on May 18 that the group began as part of a 2021 homelessness task force and opened a remodeled facility at 981 Gross Chain on Feb. 4, 2025.
Brandon Barnes, who spoke for the organization, said the shelter operates 44 overnight beds (30 for men, 14 for women), reported 5,955 bed nights since opening and counted 138 unique guests at the overnight shelter. Homewardbound also runs a day program that provides lunch and dinner every day; Barnes said the group is averaging 45–55 lunches and 65–70 dinners on a typical day and that nearly 20,000 meals were provided last year. The day program connects guests with partner organizations for case management, health care and job services.
Barnes described hygiene and wraparound services as critical to moving people toward housing stability: he reported 3,158 showers and more than 1,400 laundry loads in the previous year and said volunteers contributed roughly 1,300 hours (with similar volunteer engagement already this year). He said about 61% of shelter guests are male and many are in their 30s to 50s; the shelter does not house children and cannot meet higher medical-care needs.
Board members and the mayor credited Homewardbound with reducing visible homelessness in the downtown core, noting local business feedback that downtown conditions have improved since the shelter opened. Presenters also described a recurring problem they called "shelter dumping," in which nursing homes unable to maintain residents' care needs discharge them into shelters.
The presentation included personal examples: one guest described receiving a brand-new bed for the first time in his life, and another guest said the shelter prevented him from sleeping outdoors that night. The presenters encouraged council members to visit the facility and offered to answer follow-up questions.
The council did not take action on the presentation; it was offered as an informational item during the communications portion of the agenda. The presentation included board members Katherine Richie and Beth McCriedi and asked the community to support partnerships with organizations such as the Viola Startsman Clinic (partner name appears in the transcript).
