Bridges of Hope is a faith-based organization currently operating an emergency overnight homeless shelter located in the former Simon Kenton Elementary School building in Xenia. This proposal will outline the history of BOH, its vision for the future, establish the need for expanding services to those experiencing poverty, homelessness, and addiction, and outline a proposition for expansion of the program utilizing a $4,000,000 grant.

According to BOH Board member and former Executive Director Michael Deis, the name “Bridges of Hope” originated when the founding members discovered that homeless people were living under bridges in the city of Xenia. The founding members wanted to provide a place that would serve as not only an emergency shelter, but a “Hub of Hope” that would bridge the gap between those in need and the community services that can meet those needs.

At that meeting, the Council discussed extending a moratorium on the demolition of the Simon Kenton building to allow city staff to find a potential tenant or buyer for the building. After attending the meeting, Pastor Jordan spoke with a few community advocates that were working in ministry to people experiencing poverty, homelessness, and addiction, about the possibility of turning the Simon Kenton building into a ministry and resource center for this population. 

The following statements are adapted from BOH’s existing vision, mission, and values statements.

Extensive research has established that vision statements can have a strong impact on the performance of an organization, and that leaders generally consider communicating the vision to staff and implementing it to be essential to organizational success. 

Allison and Kaye assert that the most effective mission statements consist of a single sentence that communicates its primary purpose and the means of accomplishing that purpose. Having a mission statement that is too specific may limit the organization’s options for future expansion of services, while a mission statement that is too lengthy will be difficult for stakeholders to remember. The proposed statement concisely communicates the overall purpose of BOH and general means to achieve that purpose.

Although official statistics on homelessness in Xenia and Greene County are scarce, one might surmise from the literature on the prevalence of homelessness in the United States that the need is great. 

Currently, BOH is the only emergency drop-in overnight shelter in Xenia that accepts single men. Although other agencies in the community assist homeless persons in finding transitional and long-term housing, waiting lists are long and spaces are limited. BOH is meeting a unique and urgent need in the community. Once it becomes fully operational, BOH plans to provide emergency shelter 24-hours per day, 365 days per year.

Although public food and cash assistance is available through Greene County organizations, families often need additional food support. Once it is fully operational, Bridges of Hope will provide a food cooperative and vegetable garden where those in need may receive healthy food to supplement their diets. 

There is a strong correlation between homelessness and substance use, with the homeless population exhibiting much higher rates of substance use than the general population. Additionally, homeless veterans are 6 times more likely to report current addiction problems than homeless non-veterans. 
