Homelessness during a pandemic

Banks jumped to help Shelterhouse when pandemic hit

By Grace Hill

When the chaos of COVID-19 hit Cincinnati's nonprofit community, it took less than a week for Guardian Savings Bank and Union Savings Bank to reach out to Shelterhouse. Their first question was “What do your clients need?”

As the source of shelter, safety and nourishment for more than 200 men and women experiencing homelessness, Shelterhouse had always relied on its volunteers. But in this time of uncertainty, it had new needs. Shelterhouse asked for the funds necessary to place clients in hotels to give them safety and peace of mind.

Kelly Leon and Marcia Spaeth, Guardian/ Union’s vice president for community engagement and community action coordinator respectively, brought this request to the employees of their banking network and immediately began raising funds. Individual contributions were matched, and an additional donation was made.

“We told them the needs we had during the virus, and they answered our call,” Genell Stephens, the volunteer coordinator of Shelterhouse, said.

It was the most recent show of support in a nearly 20-year relationship between Guardian/Union and Shelterhouse. Leon and Spaeth have spent years fostering that relationship – and not just through monetary support. The banks’ service models are employee driven and dependent on direct service.

While large bank foundations take applications for funding, Guardian/Union lets employees make decisions and participate in initiatives that impassion them. Their “Community Action Committees” are active in each region they serve – in Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky and Pennsylvania.

According to Leon and Spaeth, a number of companies have expressed a desire to replicate this approach to volunteerism.

In their model, bank employees go directly to Leon and Spaeth, who receive requests for everything from canned foods to school supplies. It lends support to employees and their wishes, and it nurtures a deeper sense of responsibility to its nonprofit partners.

“Our employees come to us and say, ‘Hey, I’m involved in this in our church, and $100 would really help,’ ” Leon said.

But Leon was clear: The relationships go beyond writing checks. And this is seen at Shelterhouse.

According to Stephens, Shelterhouse engages about 2,000 volunteers each year. These individuals take part in initiatives like Feed the Need, which recruits volunteers to provide meals for homeless clients. It helps Shelterhouse keep costs down and allows the clients to see that the outside community cares.

Volunteers have their pick of projects – from sorting donations and assembling intake bags to assisting clients with budgeting and resume building, to baking treats in Shelterhouse’s state-of-the-art kitchens.

“We offer meditation, craft and art classes for our clients,” Stephens said.

Whatever the project, volunteers offer both practical and emotional support to residents as they adjust to life at the shelter and strive for personal advancement.

According to Stephens, a volunteer’s presence can mean the world to their homeless clients.

Volunteers are “not looking for anything from us. They’re saying to us, I am committed to Shelterhouse,” Stephens said. They “sacrifice their time, their money, and they don’t have to do that.”

According to Stephens, the banks’ employees aren’t just familiar faces. They’re more like family.

“I know that I’m speaking in terms of what they give us, but it’s so much more than that. They provide us with this, they provide us with that. That’s good, that’s great. But they provide themselves. When they come into our shelters they just love on our clients and our clients love them.”

Guardian/Union employees visit Shelterhouse every three to four months. Employees host annual parties, providing food, friendship and in-kind donations. In the past, the banks have provided sweatshirts, flip flops, hygiene supplies and feminine products.

Employees get creative, spreading the mission of Shelterhouse and inspiring community support at each step.

“They tell us what they need, we’ll get it. If we don’t have it, we’ll put our employees online, we’ll find a bargain, and the bank will buy it,” Spaeth said.

In Leon’s and Spaeth’s eyes, every meeting offers the opportunity for connection. And their stories show that.

One employee, whose daughter had passed away due to an overdose, was shocked to find her daughter’s best friend had become homeless and taken residence at Shelterhouse. The employee supported her through treatment and maintains contact to this day.

“It was just meant to be,” Spaeth said. “Those are the types of connections you see happening, again, because it is employee driven.”

Stephens said in another scheduled visit, the Guardian/Union employees noticed multiple women at the shelter were pregnant. Unprompted, they offered to throw a baby shower.

The culture extends to the banks’ highest position. According to Stephens, Louis Beck, chairman of the banks, takes part in most events – despite splitting time between a home in Florida and work in Cincinnati.

But Beck’s engagement goes beyond that. Each Thanksgiving, employees and their families line up at Kroger stores in Cincinnati, Dayton and Columbus to distribute food boxes. The initiative has grown to serve more than 2,000 families, and according to Spaeth, Beck has never missed it.

It was at his request that the Community Action Committees were formed and the power was placed in the hands of his employees. And ultimately, it is that personal connection that keeps them going.

Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic and social distancing policies, these banks continue to lead positive change.

The persistence is something Stephens is grateful for: They reach out when unexpected. They approach each act of service with “enthusiasm” and “warmth.”

“Their continued support – I don’t even know how to put it in words. It just means so much to Shelterhouse,” Stephens said. “To me, when Guardian/Union say they want to make sure our clients are OK, they are also saying we want to make sure you’re OK.”