Portsmouth City Council heard two powerful reminders over the past month that the city’s homelessness crisis is no longer an abstract policy issue—it is an everyday emergency. The Counseling Center’s new Drop-In Center on Washington Street is increasingly becoming the front-line response.
At Monday’s council meeting, Vice Mayor Lyvette Mosely shared a striking example of just how quickly the center has become essential.
She said she received a call from Mayor Charlotte Gordon about a traveling biker stranded in Portsmouth. He had no way to return to Indiana and reached out to the city for help.
“We kind of brainstormed as to what to do. We are so thankful for the drop-in center,” Mosely said. “She was able to direct him to the center. He was able to charge his phone, get something to eat, get cleaned up and hopefully family members in Indiana would get him back home. The drop-in center has been a blessing to our community.”
Mosely said she was amazed that someone would call the mayor when stranded in a strange city—and equally amazed that the center was ready to respond without hesitation.
“The results of what they have done for people are just amazing,” she said. “I’m glad The Counseling Center saw the need and acted upon it.”
A Silent Opening, a Sudden Need
That need, representatives from The Counseling Center told council during the previous meeting, is larger and more urgent than anyone expected.
Earlier this year, TCC and community partner Darren Mault acquired the property at 802 Washington Street with a bold but simple vision: create a safe day-shelter offering rest, food, hygiene services, healthcare connections, laundry, and case management.
After months of cleanup, renovation, and an investment of more than $300,000, the doors quietly opened in July. Even without an announcement, the unhoused found it immediately.
What followed was a flood of people—of every age, background, and circumstance.
“Misfortune does not discriminate,” TCC stated. “We have been humbled, blessed, shocked, and saddened at times by the need in our community. But one thing is for certain—the need is real, the need involves our very neighbors, and the need can be life-critical at times.”
Drop-In Center staff have handled everything from emergency psychiatric transport to dressing insect-infested wounds, assisting domestic violence survivors, and helping guests with legal or family needs.
The center imposes no requirement that visitors enter treatment, emphasizing low-barrier access to basic survival needs—food, safety, water, warmth, hygiene.
Four Months, 1,377 People Helped
From July 22 through October 31, the center served:
- 1,377 total visits
- July: 102
- August: 410
- September: 416
- October: 449
A significant portion—often 60–80% each month—were Scioto County residents.
Other key service numbers:
- Sleep Outside: 879 instances
- Meals Provided: 1,377
- Showers Used: 665
- Laundry Loads Completed: 448
- Behavioral Health Connections: 25
- Medical/Quick Care Visits: 23
These numbers paint a clear picture: the city’s homelessness crisis is not shrinking. It is becoming more visible, more urgent, and more complex.
A Community-Wide Collaboration
TCC emphasized that the Drop-In Center is not meant to operate alone. It has already received essential donated supplies from:
- Scioto Connect
- The Portsmouth Health Department
- Numerous individual donors
And it is partnering with regional organizations including the Homeless Task Force, Mary Magdelin House in Cincinnati, and Harmony House in Huntington.
“This important work cannot be done in isolation,” representatives said. “We believe that with The City of Portsmouth, community partners, and area institutions, The Counseling Center can continue to connect with our unhoused and help us sustain the resources and services of the Drop-In Center.”
A Growing Crisis, a Growing Response
Portsmouth’s homelessness crisis continues to dominate public conversation—from the city’s Homelessness Task Force to police responses to citizens struggling with mental illness, addiction, or unsafe housing situations.
The Drop-In Center has emerged as one of the few places where immediate, tangible help is available—showers, clean clothes, food, a climate-controlled building, and a moment of safety.
For the stranded biker from Indiana, it was a lifeline.
For hundreds of unhoused neighbors, it is becoming the difference between surviving the day or not.
And for a city searching for solutions, it shows what can happen when an organization steps up, invests resources, and opens its doors to those most likely to fall through the cracks.
