Denison UCC gets a winter reprieve to shelter homeless in Cleveland

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Denison Avenue United Church of Christ got a reprieve Wednesday that allows it to continue to shelter the homeless through the harshest winter months.

The Cleveland Board of Building Standards and Building Appeals set a deadline of April 15 for the church to comply with demands laid out in a cease use notice issued by the Cleveland Division of Fire on Dec. 24.

The Metanoia Project operates shelters at Denison and at St. Malachi Church in cold months. The April 15 deadline aligns with the end of its sheltering season, said Executive Director Heidi Bixby-Goblirsch.

“We’re relieved, of course, and very grateful for everyone’s support and for the opportunity to come up with a solution at least for this winter,” said Denison UCC Pastor Nozomi Ikuta. “We are hopeful that we can come up with a resolution that works for the city as well as us going forward.”

The Metanoia Project, which has operated at St. Malachi in Ohio City for years, expanded to Denison UCC in November. That move was prompted by a fire department order limiting the population at St. Malachi to 45.

Since then, dozens of homeless men and women have come to Denison UCC for nightly coffee, food, a shower and sleep. Cots are set up in a community room each night for men and a small chapel for women. Some of the guests are walk-ins from the neighborhood and others arrive by van from the West Side Catholic Center on Lorain Ave.

The plan to expand to Denison was opposed by former Councilwoman Dona Brady, who told Denison UCC Pastor Nozomi Ikuta that such a use would violate city codes. Shortly after the shelter opened there, building and fire inspectors showed up at the church.

The cease use notice issued by fire inspectors requires the church to submit plans and permits with the city’s Division of Building and Housing for a change of use of the building to allow for transient lodging. The building department had issued a separate violation notice saying a change of use permit was necessary.

The church believes providing hospitality to the homeless, including cots for overnight sleeping, is consistent with church activities and is not a change of use. It also appealed that notice and a hearing date has not yet been set.

Denison UCC gets a reprieve — Parishioners at Denison United Church of Christ form a circle in the sanctuary as they pray at recent Sunday morning service. (Gus Chan, The Plain Dealer The Plain Dealer)The Plain Dealer

The fire department’s cease use order also commanded more emergency lighting, exit signs and fire extinguishers and a plan for installing a manual fire alarm system.

“We have been working as hard as we can,” Ikuta said. Thirty fire extinguishers have been professionally installed and new lighting and exits signs have been added, she said. An architect will submit plans for full compliance by the April 15 deadline.

The church has hired an architect and now has until April 15 to submit plans to the board to come into compliance with the cease use notice. In the meantime, an approved firewatch must be in place at the facility. That’s happening with the help of volunteers who work in shifts of two, making the rounds every half hour to assure safety.

Bixby-Goblirsch said she’s encouraged about the fact that the shelter can stay open through this winter season and excited about the possibilities for next winter.

She said her organization and many others have been meeting with city and county leaders to develop a cold-weather plan for shelter-resistant homeless people. The hope is for Metanoia to operate numerous small satellites throughout the city, either in churches or other buildings. To do so may require variances to current building and fire codes, such as allowing a fire watch instead of a cost-prohibitive sprinkler system.

“I am really just hoping for various locations and smaller sizes. The more intimate we can be with the guests, the more it helps with out mission,” she said, noting that Metanoia’s goal is to help homeless people become formerly homeless people.

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