CINCINNATI — As homelessness continues to rise in Ohio and across the country, Cincinnati leaders are exploring a new approach to connect vulnerable residents with critical daytime services.

What You Need To Know

  • Cincinnati's proposed $2 billion fiscal budget includes a $5.5 million allocation to purchase and convert a building into a daytime homeless center 

  • Officials say it could serve up to 200 people and address the need for more daytime services as most shelters in the region operate only overnight 

  • Advocates say the real solution to ending homelessness locally is more affordable housing

A draft of the city’s proposed $2 billion fiscal budget includes a $5.5 million allocation to purchase and convert a former research facility into a daytime homeless center. The facility, on West 5th Street in the Queensgate neighborhood, once housed the Cincinnati Museum Center’s Research and Archives but has sat vacant in recent years.

“The center can serve as a place for people to stay safe and be connected to resources during the day,” City Manager Sheryl Long said.

The proposed center would be located directly across from ShelterHouse, one of the city’s primary emergency shelters. Officials said it could serve up to 200 people and function as a cooling center during the summer heat, addressing a longstanding service gap, as most shelters in the region operate only overnight.

“We’d like to engage our partners who are on day-to-day operations at the shelter and provide an important lifeline to our most vulnerable populations,” Long said.

Advocates said the proposal is a positive step, but far from a comprehensive solution.

“You get people into a building, that’s great,” said Rico Blackman, organizing director of the Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition. “That’s a basic need that people have, to have a roof over their head. But we also need permanent, affordable housing.”

Blackman noted that while the daytime center would provide immediate relief, the long-term fix lies in creating housing options.

“It could have been turned into apartments that the folks who came out of the shelter right here, they could be given a unit to,” he said.

According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s 2024 Point-in-Time Homelessness Report, more than 11,000 people were unhoused in Ohio. It’s a 3% increase from the previous year. Cincinnati saw the largest year-over-year increase in the state, at nearly 7%.

“Every single time I’ve gone to a shelter, it’s packed,” Blackman said. “There are people waiting to get in, waiting for assistance from providers, waiting for rental help. The need is constant.”

Blackman also raised questions about the project’s financial logistics. With a reported asking price of $2.9 million for the building, he wondered whether the remaining funds would be sufficient for renovations.

“We’re setting aside $5.5 million,” he said. “Will what’s left over cover the renovations and the much-needed changes to make that into a center?”

This year’s city budget is the first in five years that does not include federal American Rescue Plan funds. Cincinnati is also facing a projected deficit of more than $10 million. The budget must be finalized and approved by July 1.