homelessness

Last fall, Newark promised to create a diversion program from those charged with a misdemeanor crime for sleeping outside. Its HOME Court program is now in full swing.

Homeless people in at least six Ohio cities can be fined or arrested for sleeping in public places, even if there’s nowhere else to go.

For years, Wayne County did not have a permanent space for a severe weather overnight shelter. Other rural communities are facing similar challenges.

An organization in central Ohio unveiled a new tool last month to better meet the needs of its growing unhoused population. The Soap-n-Hope Mobile Hygiene Unit is a 32-foot-long trailer equipped with showers and laundry machines.

The city of Bryan dropped 18 criminal charges against a local pastor. In exchange, the pastor agreed to stop housing homeless people in his church until he has the proper permits and certifications to do so.

A pastor in northwest Ohio faced criminal charges after housing people who are homeless in his church. The city appears to have dropped them for now, but the issue of homelessness in rural areas remains.

On one night in January, Ohio municipalities count the number of Ohioans living in shelters and on the street across the state. Advocates say they expect an increase in homelessness this year.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development recently gave Ohio $5.2 million to address youth homelessness in rural Ohio, where resources are often more spread out and harder to access.

The city of Findlay in northwest Ohio is seeing a growing number of people living on the streets. It's helping its downtown businesses prepare to coexist with that population.

States around the country are preparing for the big census count that happens just once a decade. In Ohio, Census leaders discuss their plans to reach out…