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NKY homeless shelter moving, expanding and off ering more services Julia Fair Cincinnati Enquirer USA TODAY NETWORK
The Northern Kentucky Emergency Shelter found a new and bigger home – one that will include a medical clinic, lockers, and laundry services. The new location at 436 West 13th St., once home to the construction equipment rental store Steff en's Rental, will is set to fully open in late 2020. The shelter collaborated with Kenton County and St. Elizabeth Healthcare, which bought the building, to serve the thousands of people experiencing homelessness in the region The current shelter on Scott Street is one of four homeless shelters in Northern Kentucky, which are all located in Covington. The new shelter will have, according to the release: ❚ 24-hour sheltering during extreme hot and cold temperatures. ❚ A medical clinic provided by St. Elizabeth Healthcare. ❚ A Mental Health Court Diversion Program partnered with Northern Kentucky Regional Mental Health Community Corrections. ❚ Daytime restroom, shower and laundry services, which was only available at night at the Scott Street location. ❚ Locker storage that will hold clothing, IDs, birth certifi cates, Social Security cards, medicine and other personal belongings ❚ Mail services, including use of street address, as allowed by Kentucky statute for job applications, ID’s, benefi ts, social security cards, tax records, and health care enrollment 1,530 people experienced homelessness in the counties of Boone, Kenton and Cambell between July 2018 and June 2019, according to a report from the Northern Kentucky Homelessness Working Group. That group is made up
Aaron Hoskins, 25, packs up his camp and his belongings near the banks of the Ohio River in Covington, Ky., on Nov. 8, 2019. SAM GREENE/THE ENQUIRER
of organizations that provide services to people experiencing homelessness in Northern Kentucky. There won't be an interruption in services as the organization gets the building ready for the move, said Kim Webb, Executive Director of the Emergency Shelter of Northern Kentucky. Webb added that the building can house up to 55 more people who need shelter this winter. The new offi cial number of beds won't be known until an architect designs the entire facility. A better-designed facility is exactly what the shelter needed, Webb said in the release. The building ownership will change hands fast. The healthcare organization bought the building on Dec. 13 and will offi cially donate it to Kenton County, according to a Kenton County Fiscal Court meeting agenda.
"They have been in discussion with us for months on how to solve this issue," said Kenton County Judge-Executive Kris Knochelmann. In the fall, The Enquirer reported that Covington offi cials drafted a homeless shelter ordinance that ignited fears among advocates for people experiencing homelessness that it would force the shelters to close. A location restriction was one of the most criticized pieces of the legislation. That ordinance has not been offi cially introduced for the Covington Board of Commissioners to consider. “This new shelter is the result of months of productive discussions among all the groups involved, including the City of Covington,” said David Johnston, Covington City Manager in the release. “The new location is slightly
larger than the current facility and will provide far more services than just overnight stays. This facility and expanded programs is a fi rst step in dealing with a signifi cant homeless situation on a regional level." Julia is the Northern Kentucky government reporter through the Report For America program. Anonymous donors pledged to cover the local donor portion of her grant-funded position with The Enquirer. If you want to support Julia's work, you can donate to her Report For America positionat this website or email her editor Carl Weiser at cweiser@cincinna.gannett.com to fi nd out how you can help fund her work. Do you know something she should know? Send her a note at jfair@enquirer.com and follow her on twitter at @JFair_Reports.
Could local Pier 1 stores be impacted by nationwide closings? Sarah Brookbank Cincinnati Enquirer USA TODAY NETWORK
Pier 1 Imports plans to close up to 450 locations, the company announced Monday. With nearly half of its 942 stores closing, there's a good chance some local stores could be in jeopardy. The Fort Worth, Texas-based home goods retailer said the decision to reduce its store footprint is needed "to better align its business with the current operating environment," USA TODAY reported. “Although decisions that impact our associates are never easy, reducing the number of our brick-and-mortar loca-
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tions is a necessary business decision," Pier 1 CEO and Chief Financial Offi cer Robert Riesbeck said in a news release. The company will also close certain distribution centers and reduce its corporate expenses because of the "revised store footprint." There are four Pier 1 stores in Greater Cincinnati: Florence, Norwood, Sycamore Township and West Chester Township. The company has not yet announced which stores will be closing. In a Monday news release, the company said it is "utilizing the services of a third-party liquidator to help manage the store closings." What stores will close and a timeline for when the liquidation sales will start was not immediately available.
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