Homeless shelter seems heaven sent
Amanda Forgus, center, and her son Johnell Page help local artist Sarah Dugger spruce up one of the rooms with a wall mural. Forgus said FOTH goes above and beyond to help people get back on their feet.
On a Sunday morning in February 2003, Jack Ream awoke knowing God had spoken to him, delivering a very specific message. “I had what most people consider a religious experience,” Ream said. “I was convinced I was supposed to start a homeless shelter, so I did.”
Ream said about a dozen people from 11 area churches came together to set up the shelter at its current location on East High Avenue, which opened its doors on Oct. 31, 2005. Twelve days later the shelter was full to capacity, which at the time was 20 people.
Being full now means 36 people, a situation the shelter is in more often than not. A new facility is needed. After being turned down for zoning variances at two New Philadelphia locations, the organization has set its sights on 2 acres in Goshen Township.
A new, larger facility will allow FOTH to continue providing shelter, food and critical services to the area’s homeless population well into the future.
Ream believes one of the reasons getting approval for a new location has been difficult is people don’t want a shelter in their neighborhood, primarily due to misconceptions about the homeless.
“So few people understand homelessness,” Ream said. “I didn’t understand it, but I came to realize homelessness is not a problem. It’s lots of problems.”
According to World Population Review, the four leading causes of homelessness are, in order: lack of affordable housing, unemployment, poverty and low-paying jobs.
“Most people are close enough to being broke that a tough break will leave them unable to maintain their household,” Ream said. “If we don’t take care of these people, recognize the problem and try to re-educate them, it’s going to be a problem for everybody in the community.”
Speaking of re-educating, Nicole L. Willey, Ph.D. and English professor at Kent State Tuscarawas, heads up a service-learning program. “The service and the learning have to be completely connected,” Willey said. “Students learn in a real-world context, and the services they are providing are needed in the community.”
Willey said her students are currently working with the shelter on a number of projects, from a newsletter and PowerPoint presentations to artwork, poetry and journaling with FOTH guests.
Samantha Rinehart, clinical coordinator and assistant professor of Stark State’s occupational therapy assistant program, said her students lead life skills groups at the shelter two times a day, five days a week. Topics include communication skills, assertiveness, housekeeping, budgeting and interviewing skills to help residents land jobs.
“It’s a win-win situation,” Rinehart said. “Our students gain experience by working with FOTH clientele, and FOTH benefits by being able to offer no-cost occupational therapy to their guests.”
One of the guests benefiting from the groups and other services at FOTH is Amanda Forgus, mother of three and a guest at the shelter for the past two months.
“They’re helping me with everything,” she said. “They’re helping me with parenting. They’re helping me with education about how to take care of my children. They are helping me with housing. They go above and beyond for everybody, and they love everybody that comes in here.
“I come from a sort of sketchy background, but they welcomed me with open arms. I thank them every day because if it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t have gotten to where I am now.”
In addition to temporary shelter and food, FOTH provides guests with personal hygiene items and baby products, which include diapers, baby wipes, baby food and formula. A favorite among kids at the shelter is the backpack each receives containing stuffed animals, pajamas, a blanket and a toy.
“One of our goals is to make this a decent life instead of just a homeless shelter, and that’s where all these things round out a person’s experience when they are in a dire situation,” said Calvin White, FOTH executive director. “How many shelters could you go to where people are sad to leave because of how well they’re treated?”
To donate food, household or hygiene items or to volunteer, call FOTH at 330-602-6100. Visit www.fothtusc.org.