The two-story building was once the home of The Connecting Center, the Wells County Boys and Girls Club, and, years before that — a “rough and tumble” bar.
The location is now known as home for 14 Wells County residents who were left without a place to live. Of those, five residents are children. It also houses the local Salvation Army extension office.
These figures are according to Pastor Neil Ainslie, the founder of Yehoshua Inc., a nonprofit that provides emergency shelter to the homeless population in Wells County.
The organization has operated from the Johnson Street building since February 2022. Yehoshua officially received 501(c)3 nonprofit status on July 7 of this year.
Ainslie said the landlord of the building, Denny Fry, was instrumental in the nonprofit’s formation. Fry wanted to continue to see the building serve those in need after The Connecting Center moved locations. Initially, the goal was to form a halfway house for men exiting incarceration.
“Emergency housing has always been a weak point in our community,” Ainslie explained. “We found the need has multiplied. We were flying by the seat of our pants trying to address emergencies and found that this needed to be addressed first.”
Ainslie recalled his days on the board of Habitat for Humanity in Wells County in 2008, when housing was already seen as a critical and growing issue. The outlook has worsened since.
According to a 2022 community needs assessment conducted by the Wells County Foundation, housing is an area of critical need. The two most significant hurdles surrounding housing include lack of affordability and availability.
Of the available housing, Ainslie explained that changes in tax structure and assessed home values have significantly increased rent prices. Landlords are also less likely to rent to occupants without a good credit history in a post-pandemic world after evictions were temporarily not allowed.
This means that those facing the highest levels of poverty are left with the fewest options. Ainslie also said that incoming housing to the area is aimed at middle-class families.
“For the time being,” Ainslie paused, “this is our future.”
“There is a much larger homeless population in Bluffton than most of the community are aware of,” said Susan Mossburg, a crisis counselor for Yehoshua and the board secretary. “We have already begun speaking locally to help bring awareness about the many people we serve.”
David Barber and Heather Barber, also board members, walked into the building after a recent move to Wells County from Florida. They thought it was a thrift shop. The Barbers were met by Ainslie. As they learned more about Yehoshua, they decided to get involved.
“We’ve been trying to raise money to help meet critical needs,” Heather Barber said. “We also want to be able to do renovations. Not Magnolia Homes, but we want people to feel like they’re safe and at home.”
Michael White was also a board member, and was involved since the nonprofit’s inception. He also served as the receptionist for Community Care of Wells County, a separate nonprofit, for over four years. White passed away one week ago.
“Michael represented the residents,” Ainslie said. “He would give perspective. He lived here with them and tried to encourage them. He was a friend and a neighbor. He was humble.”
Gary Grovenberry, the most recent resident at Yehoshua, was struggling with ongoing issues in his home. Grovenberry rented a house and lived with his granddaughter, Heavenly, a young teen he has raised since she was 10 months old.
“That man right there is a miracle worker,” Grovenberry said, pointing to Ainslie. “I’m 62 years old. I can sleep in a cornfield. But this baby girl right here —” Tears streamed down Grovenberry’s face as he recounted the difficulties he encountered since living at the residence, which came to a head three days ago. Due to extensive damage from water and pests, the home was deemed unlivable. Grovenberry sat in his truck with Heavenly outside of the property and began to sob. Then, he met Ainslie. Yehoshua is now helping them find a new home, likely outside of Wells County.
Though the nonprofit is currently at its housing capacity, resources are still available.
In addition to providing emergency shelter, there is a heating and cooling center to offer relief from extreme weather, showers and toiletries, as well as a food closet for anyone in emergency need of food. There is no affiliation of faith required to receive help.
“The spiritual side is simply the framework for which we do this type of work,” Ainslie said.
Mossburg explained that, ultimately, the nonprofit’s goal is to meet the immediate needs of those in a crisis and then connect them with appropriate resources. Right now, a lack of funding limits them to how much help they can offer.
“We plan to expand to allow for short-term emergency housing to help more individuals,” Mossburg concluded. “We also want to acquire funding to expand our re-entry program, which helps homeless people regain independence and a livelihood.”
