Neighborhood Alliance to expand Haven Center

LORAIN — Neighborhood Alliance is set to expand its Haven Center due to an increased need brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Ron Cocco, an architect with Clark & Post, said the organization is looking to build an addition and also renovate its existing building. The addition would add 9,000 square feet to the Haven Center and bring a new main entrance. Mount Zion, an adjacent church building, would be used for additional parking. At a Board of Zoning Appeals meeting in Lorain on Wednesday, a variance for the expansion was granted, moving the project forward. Neighborhood Alliance CEO Alicia Foss said with the pandemic, it's been challenging to create enough space for health and safety. The Haven Center is a 68-bed homeless shelter. Normally there are seven people in a room. Foss said it's hard to get people 6 feet apart. Because of that, Foss said the center has had to reduce capacity for safety purposes. But that doesn't mean need has decreased. Although there is another men's homeless shelter in the county, Foss said there isn't one for women and children. She said she was looking at renovations pre-pandemic, and COVID-19 brought more need for it into the picture. Currently, the shelter has two large rooms that house bathrooms and showers. Foss said that's not conducive to keeping people safe and healthy, even without COVID-19. She's looking to redesign the facility to have smaller rooms with bathrooms attached. That way there are fewer people in a room and more bathroom space. If needed, Foss said it will also make quarantining easier. With the addition, Foss said there will also be separate hallway spaces for men and women and children. She also wants to create more places for children at the shelter to play. Foss said having a family in the shelter is different from being a single person. She said 30 percent of residents in the shelter are children. Currently, if children go play outside the shelter, they have to go in and out through security. Foss said that can be damaging and traumatic for children. Neighborhood Alliance plans to build the building in a rectangular shape with a courtyard in the center. That would protect the play area from vandalism and give children a safe, clean space. Foss said center officials also are exploring spaces for family time that aren't combined with all the other residents. She said it would give families the ability to have a movie night or game night. The work to be done on the Haven Center will be a comprehensive overhaul, Foss said. She wants to add more rooms and put in more amenities. But this is just the beginning of the project. Foss said she is seeking funding to get everything rolling. The variance granted Wednesday was just the first step in a longer process. Ideally, Foss said, she hopes ground can be broken in the next six to 12 months, but that's not guaranteed. Lorain Safety Service Director Sanford Washington applauded the work Neighborhood Alliance is doing, saying it's much needed in the community. Foss said there's a need for additional shelter in Lorain County, and she said her organization wants to meet that need as much as possible. Contact Laina Yost at (440) 329-7121 or lyost@chroniclet.com.