LORAIN, OHIO — Lorain County nearly triples its emergency shelter space for families. This week, Neighborhood Alliance completed the expansion of the Haven Center in Lorain.

The nonprofit organization unveiled 19 new rooms in the Ben and Jane Norton Center addition. 11 of the rooms are dedicated to families experiencing homelessness.

“When we are in the middle of a crisis, we need support people, especially for children. Being homeless can be very scary for them, it’s a very traumatic experience,” said Alicia Foss, president and CEO of Neighborhood Alliance.

She noted a growing need for emergency shelter, particularly for families.

Neighborhood Alliance operates the county’s only emergency shelter, open 24 hours a day, 365 days, with space for men, families, single women and adult couples.

The oldest wing of the Haven Center currently offers four family-only rooms. The new facility will include private bathrooms and will accommodate parents with children, couples and large blended families with connecting rooms. A play area is planned in the long term in the central courtyard.

Foss said the spaces are designed to give people a sense of normalcy when they are going through crises.

“The process of finding housing or a job can be very intimidating because you have to focus on the first things. You have to make sure that you are fed and that you have a roof over your head,” she explained.

The project began a week after historic flooding in northeast Ohio.

Nearly 20 inches of sewage and stormwater flooded the lower level of the Haven Center during a late summer storm.

Lorain homeless shelter, neighbors still recovering from summer floods

RELATED: Lorain homeless shelter, neighbors still recovering from summer floods

“We couldn’t have the residents there,” Foss recalls. “It was really difficult, both for our residents and our staff.”

The damage displaced shelter operations for more than a month and forced renovations to the shelter’s community room and kitchen much earlier than planned.

Fortunately, the flooding did not disrupt the building’s expansion.

Staff said the project’s completion comes as more people will seek shelter during the winter months.

“We don’t know who will walk through those doors next. It could be me, it could be anyone,” said Roberto Toro, head of fund development for Neighborhood Alliance.

He said many families and individuals seeking help face illness, job loss or other unforeseen circumstances that upend their lives. He hopes the new facility will provide a comfortable place to land and move forward.

“This welcoming presence literally lets down that big guard. And once they start talking and explaining their story, you see they are just like you,” Toro said.

The Ben and Jane Norton Center is one of several phases of the Neighborhood Alliance’s capital improvement plan. The nonprofit is raising money for a planned renovation of the Haven Center and other projects. If you want to help, you can donate and find more information BY CLICKING ON THIS LINK.