Project Co-Create Hosts Community Conversation on Sunset Shelter

Project Co-Create Hosts Community Conversation on Sunset Shelter

Some 30 participants give feedback on Athens’ soon-to-be shelter

Roughly 30 community members joined facilitators from Project Co-Create on Aug. 14 to participate in a “community conversation” about the Sunset Shelter Project. The shelter will open in 2026 to individuals and families experiencing housing insecurity. Feedback largely centered around appreciation for the Athens community and a willingness to get involved.

The event, held at the Athens Community Center, began with remarks from Kelly Hatas, executive director of Hocking Athens Perry Community Action. HAPCAP received $4 million in grants through HOME American Rescue Plan funds to turn the former Sunset Motel into a shelter with private spaces for individuals and families. The shelter is slated to open in 2026.

“This project is about so much more than a building. It’s about the people and families who will walk through its doors – our neighbors who are working to overcome incredibly challenging circumstances,” Hatas said, “It’s about our community coming together to take action and refuse to settle for the status quo.”

Then Jessica Stroh, HAPCAP director of community services, gave a brief update on the Sunset, including cleanout, architectural design and lead abatement. She also discussed the public engagement that HAPCAP and Project Co-Create have completed, including reaching out directly to neighbors and creating a survey that around 500 people answered.

“If you are not a supporter of the shelter, or you’re not sure, that’s okay, too,” Stroh said. “We want to hear from you … we want to make sure we’re moving this forward together.”

Then it was time for participants to give feedback. A facilitator at each table took notes while participants answered questions, including “What do you value most about our community, and how can we ensure this project supports those values?”

Facilitators then posted papers with summaries of each table’s feedback on the walls and participants did a “gallery walk” to see what themes emerged. Words most commonly used to describe Athens community values that should be applied to the Sunset Shelter Project included:

• Community
• Collaboration
• Creativity
• Local focus
• Compassion
• Dignity
• Lived experience
• Diversity
• Environment

Then participants returned to their tables to discuss the next question, “What ideas do you have for making the shelter feel safe, respectful, and welcoming – for both residents and neighbors?”

Answers included:

• Shelter programming – like cooking, dancing, story time – open to residents and the community at large
• Education, including classes geared toward job readiness and financial literacy
• Well-defined guidelines around physical safety and security, particularly for children on site
• Engaging law enforcement from now to when the shelter is open
• Giving residents choices in their options of food, hygiene and bedding products

Participants were invited to individually write and submit remaining questions about the Sunset Shelter Project. Questions included concerns about long-term financial viability, whether only local residents will be allowed to stay in the shelter and how much shelter workers will earn.

“There is really hunger for engagement, they really want to engage,” said Shayne Lopez, program director for the Athens County Foundation. Lopez facilitated one of the groups. She continued, “Even though it’s difficult to have diverging opinions about how to go about something, we can still find ourselves in the same room and just talk. There is power in that. I am grateful for being in a community with people who can facilitate those discussions.”

To learn more about the Sunset Shelter Project, visit hapcap.org/shelterproject