Lorain homeless center to get $900K in ARPA funds

LORAIN — Lorain's only homeless shelter open to families is set to receive $900,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds. Neighborhood Alliance was allocated $900,000 from the city's nonprofit relief fund program. That money will go toward a major renovation of the Haven Center, Executive Director Alicia Foss said during a committee meeting Monday. Currently Haven Center can house 68 people, Foss said, but often uses overflow to hotels and warming centers to meet the community's needs. The expansion would take the shelter's capacity up to 80 beds, and would turn dorm-style rooms into a noncongregate setting — families having four beds to a room while only two unrelated individuals would share a room, and each room would have its own bathroom. The expansion, proposed for the vacant lot next door, would create a courtyard in between the old wing and new, she said. That courtyard would allow children and families staying in the shelter to go outside and play without having to go in and out of security, and protect the center's playground equipment from vandalism from the surrounding neighborhood. Besides the ARPA funds, Neighborhood Alliance received just over $1 million in state funds allocated by the Lorain County Commissioners, she said. Those funds expire in August 2023, so the nonprofit is on a time crunch to get construction moving. The total project is expected to cost a little over $4 million, with the first phase coming in at about $2.5 million for the addition alone, she said. Between the city's ARPA allocation and the County Commissioners' allocation, Neighborhood Alliance is still short about $600,000 for the first phase but Foss did not expect that to be a problem as the nonprofit has other funding requests in the works. Broadway Mary's restaurant is also set to receive $30,000 in relief and recovery funds. The final allocations are still pending full Council approval on Dec. 19. During a Special Call Council also approved a rezoning for a future Taco Bell on the east side. Members unanimously approved rezoning 1390 Colorado Ave. from I-1 to B-2 to allow the fast food restaurant move forward. Construction is expected to start in the spring. Contact Carissa Woytach at (440) 329-7245 or cwoytach@chroniclet.com.