04/27/2026
SHELTERED INC. ANNOUNCES CLOSING OF SHELTERS AND OPERATIONS
Springfield, OH - After decades of service supporting the homeless in Springfield and Clark County, Sheltered Inc., formerly known as Interfaith Hospitality Network, is declaring bankruptcy and ending operations.
“This is heartbreaking news to share,” Sheltered Inc. Board President Ross McGregor stated. “We’ve exhausted every avenue to continue our mission of serving the most needy in our community. Without a reliable stream of funding from the County Commissioners it has become unsustainable.”
Staff are currently working with clients and partner agencies to develop transition and discharge plans.
Services available to clients in the two shelters Norm’s Place and Hartley House will end on May 22, 2026 and the final day of operations is scheduled for May 30.
McGregor thanked the staff members who have been steadfast in supporting the Sheltered, Inc. mission.
“On behalf of the Board of Directors, I cannot express enough gratitude to the staff of Sheltered, Inc who have and continue to help our fellow citizens even in the face of closure of the shelters.”
He also expressed gratitude to partners, donors, and governmental agencies that have supported operations since 1990 when services began under leadership of a collective of local churches. The mission was defined as providing rapid exit from homelessness with minimal barriers to program entry, providing supportive services that were voluntary for participants and emphasizing housing focused assistance.
During the height of the homelessness crisis during the COVID pandemic, Sheltered Inc. provided services to over 3,000 local residents.
In a report on Springfield housing commissioned by city officials in 2022, the Greater Ohio Policy Center reported that “long-standing nonprofits like Sheltered, Inc. (formerly IHN) are overstretched.”
A lawsuit filed in 2024 by the Clark County Commission accusing Sheltered Inc. with misappropriation of funds remains unresolved. Sheltered Inc. unequivocally disputes the claims in the lawsuit and denies any wrongdoing, but the lawsuit is the major factor in ending operations of the non-profit organization according to McGregor.
“The fact is that we succeeded in housing and feeding people during a crisis. Nevertheless, the county made sweeping claims of malfeasances that were factually and legally flawed, and then used those flawed claims to sue us and deny us funding essential to our survival,” McGregor says. “Had the county agreed to mediation we could have easily and quickly resolved this. Instead, they opted to pursue unnecessary litigation that has ruined us financially and cost the county taxpayers dollars that could have been put to better use."
