GREENFIELD — Angie Lyon believes her approach to preventing homelessness in the future should be as unique as the circumstances that led to her clients needing a place to stay in the first place.
Lyon, who has worked for the Hancock Hope House Thrift Store since March 2017, has been named program coordinator of Hope House, 35 E. Pierson St. It is Hancock County’s sole homeless shelter, which provides transitional housing for people in Hancock, Henry, Rush and Shelby counties. Lyon replaces longtime program coordinator Chris Wiseman, who left at the end of 2018 for another job, said executive director Andrea Mallory. Wiseman had been at the shelter, first as a volunteer and later as a staffer, for some 15 years, she said.
In turn, thrift store associate Chandrea Warner has been promoted to thrift store manager.
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“I’m just trying to boil down my approach and make it more individual based on people’s needs,” Lyon said. “One client might just need to get a copy of their birth certificate or Social Security card so they can get a job, where another might need transportation to a job, or another needs to get their kids enrolled in school.”
Lyon looks forward to a new program highlighting mental health needs in the facility.
Starting in the next month, a partnership between the shelter and the Care Group at Safe Harbor will bring mental health counselors into the shelter for those who need mental health services, Lyon said.
Clients with insurance can use their coverage to pay for the services, but those without insurance can still be seen, Lyon said.
Lyon is proud of her work at the thrift store, which includes partnering with some 26 other organizations and bolstering a voucher program that provides clothes for job interviews and other needs for people through the work release program at the Hancock County Jail and for clients of Mental Health Partners of Hancock County.
She also worked to redesign the thrift store, creating eye-catching displays and providing a more boutique shop experience for those who peruse the clothing, furniture, home goods and jewelry offered at the 8,000-square-foot store. The thrift store provides nearly half of the operational funds for the shelter, which can house 35 individuals a night, including 20 people in family-style rooms and 15 men in an open dormitory-style area.
Mallory said Lyon was a natural pick for the program coordinator position.
“She has a really big heart for clients,” she said. “She has always asked shelter staff for advice and been willing to discuss what we’re doing and what we should be doing to help.”
Warner, who takes on the thrift shop manager position, started out as a regular customer of the store, Lyon recalled.
The pair became friendly, and when Warner was looking for a job opportunity, Lyon offered her a cashier position, she said.
“I’ve been here almost two years,” Warner said. “I don’t consider it a job, I consider it a blessing. I have been in the same situation some of these people have been in.”
Warner is working to establish a presence on eBay, an online auction site, selling prestige items like designer handbags and vintage toys that are donated to the thrift store but aren’t the kind of items people come looking for.
With each online sale, the thrift store ships items with pamphlets about the shelter, spreading information about the mission, she said.
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Donations to the Hope House Thrift Store are dwindling in the winter months and are desperately needed, said manager Chandrea Warner.
The thrift store, 35 E. Pierson St., accepts donations of new or gently used apparel, household goods, furniture, and other items, with all proceeds going to the operating costs of the Hope House homeless shelter.
For more information, visit hancockhopehouse.com.
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