HAMILTON, Ohio — The impact of the pandemic, inflation and job loss is leaving some scrambling to find shelter, and one shelter scrambling to find space. 

What You Need To Know

  • Serve City, a homeless shelter in Hamilton, started taking in men and women around the clock to meet the demand 

  • The executive director said the nearly 70 beds they have split between three rooms that are constantly full 

  • The director said they eventually hope to expand the shelter to help with the need in the area 

For almost a year, this is where Ruth Tuttle lived in her van. She said she ended up homeless after an addiction to pain pills. She said she got clean and found a new place to stay.

“I slept in a van for almost 225 days, and this is the place (Serve City) that saved me,” said Tuttle. 

She has a bed at Serve City, a homeless shelter and pantry in Hamilton. Her bed is one of 14 stacked in the women’s room at the shelter. Forty beds are in the men's room on the other side. Executive Director David Hood said the beds are always full. 

“We’ve been at capacity for over a year and a half, haven’t had an empty bed for more than about 15 minutes,” said Hood. 

He said inflation, COVID and job loss have brought on the increased housing need. It's the reason they used the common area, in between the men's and women's rooms, to squeeze in 15 more beds.

“Every night after dinner, we tear down all these tables and we put up cots in this space, so that’s where our overnight shelter exists,” said Hood. 

He said within the last year, they’ve also extended hours. They’re now taking people in around the clock, and helping with job placement. 

Eventually, he said they hope to expand to help more like Tuttle find their way.

“It’s only temporary, you know. That’s what I have to keep telling myself: It’s only temporary,” said Tuttle.