Posted April 07, 2025
In the U.S., thousands of individuals are experiencing fear of losing their homes or who have become homeless.
The St. Elizabeth Center is the only low-barrier shelter for men experiencing homelessness in Lorain County.
While providing 50 beds to its shelter residents, St. Elizabeth also serves as a drop-in center for anyone needing food, clothing, rental and utility assistance, coordinated entry and case management services.
As we continue to work to end homelessness, we would like to highlight two men who have benefitted from St. Elizabeth.
Maurice, aka Reece, has been staying at St. Elizabeth off and on for about two years.
When his mother got sick in 2023, he moved in with her to take care of her. Unfortunately, she passed away last year, leaving Reece nowhere to go.
"When she [mom] ended up passing away... I ended up coming back down here," Reece said.
Before returning to St. Elizabeth, Reece had already applied for housing in Painesville and was waiting to hear back.
After Reece informed the St. Elizabeth staff that he had been applying for housing, they assisted him in applying for Lorain Metropolitan Housing Authority and provided him with other resources he could benefit from.
Reece then discovered that he did not meet the requirements for section eight housing because he had an overdue balance in back rent on a previous apartment.
Through Catholic Charities, he was able to pay off his balance in full.
"My caseworker's name is Ashley, and Raven [Program Director] -- they put in an application and paid all my balance off," Reece said, "If I didn't have them, I wouldn't have section eight,"
Recently, Reece received the call that he could move into his own place, and he is grateful for the staff who helped him.
"I want to tell them [staff] thank you, especially Raven, because she'll go above and beyond," Reece said.
Since we sat down with Reece, he has officially moved into his apartment and is working on studying for his CDL driver's test. He hopes to become a Greyhound or school bus driver.
Another individual who has benefited from St. Elizabeth and its services is Stephen. Stephen had been working as a Journeyman Electrician with over 20 years of experience when he lost his job due to a head and eye injury.
He had no house or apartment at that time because he would travel so much for work. "I was always in a hotel, so I didn't have a house," Stephen said.
Having nowhere to go, Stephen spent his money on hotel rooms and seeing his two daughters, which eventually ran out.
"[There was] just a lot of uncertainty and just disappointment at that time," Stephen said. He found his way to St. Elizabeth after hearing about it through word of mouth and wanted to see how they could help.
"Talking through coordinated entry, that kind of helped a ton right there," Stephen said, "They definitely helped to ease a lot of the stress that first day."
The help and support from St. Elizabeth have not only given Stephen a place to sleep at night but have given him the opportunity to find a job and see his daughters regularly.
"I'm able to see my kids because of that [help], I'm able to have a job with a mailing address, I got a roof over my head, food..." Stephen said.
Even though he is not where he wants to be in life, the staff has been able to help Stephen find resources and remind him that there is hope.
"Things are tough right now, but I'm able to have some hope," Stephen said, "I just can't be thankful enough for this place,"
Currently, Stephen is looking for housing options and has appointments coming up to get his injuries fixed, but he wouldn't have been able to do it without the help of the center.
"Having this place here just kind of relieves so much of that burden. Things are still tough, but at least [I] have a place to call home." Stephen said.
The St. Elizabeth Center has been a steadfast provider of food and shelter for anyone who walks through our doors, treating every individual with the dignity and respect they deserve.
If you or someone you know needs services, click the button below to learn more about how St. Elizabeth can help.
Part of the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland
