Shelterhouse: David & Rebecca Barron Center for Men

Shelterhouse is the leading provider of shelter to the homeless in the Greater Cincinnati region. The David & Rebecca Barron Center for Men is the adaptive reuse of the former Butternut Bread Company bakery, warehouse and distribution center transformed into a 150-bed men’s shelter, with room to expand to 180. Reinvestment Fund provided $11 million of New Markets Tax Credits and a loan to bridge foundation and corporate grants.

Shelterhouse serves over 2,000 homeless individuals each year—61% of all single homeless adults in the region. In 2013, it provided more than 72,000 total shelter nights and served 90,000 meals.

This project doubles the size of the former facility and includes expanded kitchen, dining, bathroom, and laundry facilities. It also has a dedicated winter shelter that provides emergency overnight shelter for up to 200 additional men during cold weather.

The new facility also includes spaces for case management and health and job training services, increasing the capacity of partners and volunteers to be on-site serving the homeless. Most significantly, this new space will also include a primary health center that will be available to shelter residents and the surrounding community. Separately, Shelterhouse is in the process of completing a 60-bed women’s shelter that will also open in 2015.

Shelterhouse is part of a broad, citywide effort called the Homeless to Homes Plan. Adopted by Cincinnati City Council in 2009, the plan coordinates homelessness service providers in Cincinnati and Hamilton County in order to improve services for the homeless.