The Other Place, Dayton’s only day shelter for the homeless, has moved locations three times, knocked down walls, remodeled, expanded, and opened a separate space for administrative offices, but still the homeless who use its services are outpacing its expansion.

For Richard Saphire, UDSL professor and president of the board of directors at The Other Place, this growth is bad and good, representing both the increasing numbers of homeless on our streets and the increasing attention and support organizations like The Other Place are receiving.

What started in 1988 as a small operation out of the basement of Christ Episcopal Church has grown into a multi-faceted organization that, according to Saphire, sees about 275 homeless on a daily basis, has an estimated operating budget for next year of $2.1 million, and, in August, increased its staff by one fourth.

“There’s an incredible amount of work to be done to help people. Not enough people know enough or care enough,” he said.

That’s part of the reason why last winter Saphire taught an intracession class on homelessness to 25 UDSL students. It was a chance, he said, to get law students out of the classroom and expose them to the real face of homelessness. 

“There are a lot of things that lawyers can do to become involved with the homeless, from representing them to getting involved in public policy.”

Saphire was invited by a friend to join the board at The Other Place in 1989. He’s been on it ever since, except for one year when he was in California, and is now its most senior member.

“The Other Place is made up of an incredible group of people. It’s an organization that really makes a difference,” he said. “We’ve had three executive directors, all of whom have been superwomen.” He calls the current executive director, Tina Patterson, “passionate and professional.”

The focus of the shelter today is being redirected to follow a national trend, one that has Saphire optimistic about Dayton’s homeless situation for the first time in years.

Beginning in 2004, The Homeless Solution Leadership Team, a local task force that included U.D. Past President Brother Raymond Fitz, S.M., examined homelessness in the Miami Valley and in 2006 published a 10-year plan for the region based on the following findings:
• Homelessness and poverty are inextricably connected.
• The role of housing in ending homelessness cannot be overstated.
• The solution to homelessness is bigger than the network of homeless providers.
• Homelessness affects our entire community and is not just a City of Dayton issue.

A big part of the plan is a move away from sheltering the homeless to providing them with permanent housing and support services, a philosophy that Saphire says is financially, socially, and psychologically more effective.

Already, steps in that direction are taking place. Montgomery County has committed $800,000 to renovate an apartment complex off of Riverside Drive to provide permanent housing to current shelter clients. Once called Helena High-rise, the renamed River Commons will provide 50 units (the 10-year plan calls for 750 units) of housing for homeless clients of local shelters. The Dayton Daily News reported last week that the units will be ready to move into after Labor Day.

The Other Place has been contracted with to help identify those individuals who are ready to make the move to permanent housing, and, Saphire said, the organization will also provide support services to residents, which include maintaining levels of self determination, employability, residential stability, and quality of life.

Even though The Other Place is focusing more on outreach, prevention, and other social services, unfortunately, it’s not likely that the many expansions to its shelter will go unneeded.

“When it’s 97 degrees outside, or 5 below, it’s still the only place homeless people can go during the day besides the library,” Saphire said. “We’ll be in the sheltering business for as long as there are homeless people.”