I’m sure I don’t have all the answers for that, but if we each try to make a difference in our own community and work together with others of like mind, I believe we can make a difference.  I live in a small town in Sandusky County, Ohio.  Many of our residents didn’t believe we had any homeless people here.  That was a big city problem, like Columbus or Toledo.

Until 1993 the Fremont Clergy Fund was putting our homeless up in local hotels.  That was getting very expensive and not very efficient.  In 1993 a group of concerned citizens and clergy met and began developing a more efficient way to handle this.  We didn’t want just a row of cots and a roof over their heads.  We wanted to offer them a way out of their current circumstances.  Thus was born the Liberty Center Homeless Shelter.

The Liberty Center provides a family living environment where the residents are treated with dignity and have the opportunity to start over and become self sufficient.  The residents are not required to pay a fee of any kind, but if they are working, they must save 80% of their income toward their future housing cost.

Potential residents must  go through a police check and drug test,  They are required to do chores while at the shelter and they have a strict curfew.  We offer training on many things that will help them start over; everything  from cooking and nutrition to writing a resume.  Our staff can counsel those who just need to talk, or can send them to other individuals who are more qualified to help.  Our staff also can hook the residents up whatever services they might need; food, housing, legal aide, health services and so much more.

Since opening in June 1994 the Liberty Center has served 2368 people, 1051 of these have been children.  The Liberty Center is a family shelter.  We take, men, women, and families.  That’s why our intake is so careful and our rules necessary…for the safety of the children.

It was never been our desire to simply provided a place to sleep and eat for a few days.  We want to reach our a helping hand and enable these people a new start.  It really doesn’t take much to end up homeless in today’s economy; businesses are closing, factories being sent overseas, stores are cutting their work forces.  It only takes a few weeks to go from just making it…to being on the streets.

One of the biggest problems with homelessness is that people don’t know what help is available.  They think if they go to live at a homeless shelter,they will lose their children.  Not true!  But if you are living in your car, Children’s Services will come looking for you.  If you choose to stay in a home with out heat, water, or power, Children’s Services will be looking for you.  If your family is safe in  a shelter, your children will stay with you.  Don’t be afraid to ask for help.