A newly-opened temporary shelter for Columbus families displaced by home fires may be a one-of-a-kind offering in the state.
Columbus Fire & Rescue Chief Martin Andrews said the shelter, which officials debuted Wednesday, is the only one of its type in the state, to his knowledge. The shelter is housed within the Columbus Housing Authority’s community center at the corner of 22nd Street South and Eighth Avenue South.
The shelter features three beds, two bathrooms and a shower. Andrews said the goal is for families to use it for one to three days, when needed. He said about four or five families are displaced a year as a result of residence fires.
Andrews said the shelter is more than a year in the making, with most of the work happening in the past six months. He said it took a community effort, with donations from multiple businesses and individuals.
“Because of the services we provide, I see many, many families displaced,” Andrews said. “I wanted an ideal place where a family could have a transitional period time to go there and be in a family atmosphere. Even though we have some services here, sometimes we can’t always get in touch with those services, so the family suffers. I want to bridge that gap.”
Before now, Andrews said, CFR has used Community Resources and the American Red Cross to help house displaced families.
Columbus Housing Authority executive director Debra Taylor thanked those who contributed to the project.
“Thanks to their response, we have a fine, finished product,” Taylor said. “There are quite a few people who have gone the extra mile to make sure that there are things available to the people in their time of need. We hope that we don’t have to use it on a regular basis, simply because someone has suffered a loss.”
Alex Holloway was formerly a reporter with The Dispatch.
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