Unhoused

MANSFIELD – Douglas Picheco turned off the push mower and crossed the street. He was shirtless, dressed in blue jeans and a baseball cap with “US NAVY VETERAN” sewn on it. Picheco worked to catch his breath under a cloudless, blue sky. I encouraged him to take a seat on the concrete steps while we […]

Editor’s Note Today’s is the fifth part in a series of stories that published this week in Richland Source on the unhoused. MANSFIELD – Susan Beard runs a section of short, brown hair between her index and middle fingers, stopping short about an inch from the ends. She angles her scissors and snips, then takes […]

Editor’s Note Erin was asked to be a guest columnist as part of our ongoing Unhoused series. She was given the following writing prompt:  “What is dividing us on the issues of mental health and homelessness?”  Within the past year, the issue of homelessness has become an increased concern for residents of Mansfield and Richland […]

Editor’s Note Aurelio was asked to be a guest columnist as part of our ongoing Unhoused series. He was given the following writing prompt:  “What experiences in your life have shaped your views on the issue of homelessness in Mansfield and Richland County?” Read another column from Aurelio covering homelessness at SXSW here. In many […]

Editor’s Note Jason was asked to be a guest columnist as part of our ongoing Unhoused series. He was given the following writing prompt:  “You have been open about your struggles with homelessness in the past. What do you wish people understood about your experience, and how it has shaped your life?” I’ve been plenty open about […]

Editor’s Note Kelly Blankenship was asked to be a guest columnist as part of our ongoing Unhoused series. She was given the following writing prompt: “When it comes to homelessness in Mansfield and Richland County, what is oversimplified about this issue?”  “Why should we help them?”  “They did that to themselves.” “We don’t want them […]

MANSFIELD – Phil Mitchell begins his workday like many of us — he checks his email inbox. But the correspondence he’s looking for is hardly ordinary.  Mitchell is the coordinator of the Mansfield City Schools S.A.F.E. program, which identifies unhoused students and offers support to them and their families.  One of the primary ways schools identify […]

MANSFIELD — Kelly Blankenship was driving back toward Harmony House late Tuesday night, the annual “point-in-time” count complete. As the homeless shelter executive director stopped her car at the intersection of Third and Walnut streets, a man walked toward the vehicle. He asked for “a couple of bucks to buy food,” saying he was sleeping in […]

MANSFIELD — What does it mean to be unhoused in Richland County?  Officially, it means lacking a permanent place of residence. But what does that actually look like? What are the far-reaching effects? And what responses are being deployed to help? Complex problems deserve comprehensive solutions, and no problem is more complex than the issue […]

MANSFIELD — A pilot program to help homeless residents in downtown Mansfield will launch in early April, featuring teams of behavioral health professionals and law enforcement officers. Joe Trolian, executive director of Richland County Mental Health & Recovery Services, outlined the project Thursday during a meeting with Richland County commissioners and other officials. Commissioner Tony […]