Narcelles, 17, recently launched the Instagram campaign on the page @springfieldohiohomeless and plans to post three times a day for a week before slowly reducing the frequency to eventually push out content when news breaks, she said.
One of Narcelles’ biggest goals in her campaign is to help reduce the stigma people experiencing homelessness and mental health struggles endure.
“There’s a lot of blame and shame, especially, in it because so many people struggle in Springfield,” Narcelles said. “We are a relatively impoverished city but we have a good community and I really want to try and bring that together to help those that need it the most.”
Narcelles is enrolled in International Baccalaureate Global Politics and part of the curriculum is to “kind of be an intermediary between the public, the city governments, NGOs, IGOs, all these different political actors and to kind of bridge the gap,” Narcelles said. Her first thought was of her previous experience volunteering at the Springfield Soup Kitchen her sophomore year and after research and discussions with her teacher, she decided a social media campaign would fulfill the required engagement.
While the campaign started as a school project, Narcelles said she sees it as “the culmination of almost all of my interests in one” and an avenue for advocacy and education that she will continue in some form in the future.
“While this whole social media campaign may not last forever, my drive and desire to help and to promote for people that need it most, that will continue with me for the rest of my life,” Narcelles said.
Narcelles, who said she strives to be “incredibly active in my school and community” is the president of the National Honor Society and Key Club, part of mental health task force Hope Squad, involved in theater and is an IB art student with an upcoming exhibition.
One of her main focuses in her campaign will be children experiencing homelessness, Narcelles said.
In her research into the topic, Narcelles said she learned a lot, including that living in a car is considered homelessness, the shelters are overwhelmed and that living day-to-day without a home is extremely challenging.
“You don’t necessarily have the documents or the hygiene items, to say get a job,” Narcelles said. “There are so many different barriers that when you are stuck in that fight-or-flight mode for a long time, you have a hard time planning for the future, and most people that are in those sort of like destitute states are incredibly ashamed and embarrassed and don’t really want anyone to know about it. A lot of people think that asking for help is a sign of weakness when in actuality I consider it more so as a sign of strength.”
Springfield has had a problem with homelessness at least since the COVID-19 pandemic. Local and only shelter operator Sheltered Inc., which has experienced years of financial instability, announced late last year it will likely close both its shelters come March due to a lack of consistent funding.
Sheltered Inc. lost a portion of its county administered funds meant to be used for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) or Prevention, Retention and Contingency (PRC) services in 2023.
In 2024, Clark County filed a civil lawsuit against Sheltered Inc. for breach of contract and is seeking reimbursement of more than $500,000. This lawsuit stems from a county allegation that the nonprofit mismanaged funds meant for TANF or PRC services, which provide work support and other services to low-income families.
The lawsuit alleges that Sheltered Inc. did not provide proper documentation for reimbursements and submitted invoices for expenses not allowed under the program, including staff salaries, utilities, rent, insurance, office supplies, gasoline, facility maintenance/repairs, contracted personnel, hotels, gas cards, bus passes, meals and birth records.
The issues were reportedly found through a state audit of the Department of Job and Family Services.
Sheltered Inc. has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
It is unclear where people who would use shelter resources will go if the shelters shut down. The city has said it is working on short- and long-term solutions, which includes reestablishing a relationship with Dayton-based nonprofit Homefull to open the door to work with it again.
Homefull, whose mission is to work to end homelessness, began working in Springfield in July 2023, stepping in to manage a shelter at the former Executive Inn. While there, the nonprofit encountered issues with plumbing and previously deferred maintenance from when the building was a hotel.
On Aug. 5, 2024, the city held an emergency meeting to vote on whether to fund Homefull’s continuing operation of the shelter at a cost of up to $1,047,436 of federal funds, with the option to renew for three more one-year periods. City commissioners voted down the proposal 3-2, with the concern appearing to be not all rooms being operational for the amount of funds provided. However, the funds would have been provided on a reimbursement basis for services rendered.
Families were made to abruptly leave the following day, and OIC of Clark County worked toward placing individuals in Sheltered Inc. shelters or temporarily in a hotel.
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