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Dayton homeless shelter sees record number of kids
• Big picture: The number of children staying at St. Vincent de Paul homeless shelters in Dayton has reached an all-time high, an analysis by reporter Cornelius Frolik found. Through the last months of 2023, the shelter averaged more than 100 kids per night.
• The story: Go here for the full story, including stories of those staying at the shelter, and how they are working to address this need.
• The children: Shelter workers relay heartbreaking stories. One child has never before slept in an actual bed. Many have spent a lot of nights sleeping in sleeping bags on the ground.
• Driving the trend: Shelter officials say there are lots of contributing factors, including the housing crisis and changing family dynamics.
- “I think we’re seeing more damaged families today, with single-parent households,” said John Hunter, director of shelter ministries for St. Vincent de Paul Society, Dayton. “Single-parent households statistically are more challenged in society.”
• The schools: Dayton Public Schools has identified more than 400 students who are homeless, which is nearly twice as many as a few years ago. But the actual count likely is higher than that because some kids and families keep this information a secret.
• The shelter: St. Vincent de Paul’s two homeless shelters in Dayton haven’t turned anyone away due to a lack of space since December 2009. This isn’t true of many shelters across the region or state, meaning people often come to Dayton from elsewhere seeking shelter. More people than ever before turned to the shelter in January 2023, putting its capacity to the test.
Local reps’ bill would prevent courts from hearing challenges to abortion laws under Issue 1
Credit: NYT
Credit: NYT
• Issue 1: Ohio voters approved Issue 1 in November with nearly 57% of voters supporting it, enshrining abortion access into the state Constitution.
• The impact: Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost has said the Issue 1 abortion amendment would make many restrictions to abortion in Ohio law unconstitutional.
• Not so fast: Amending the Constitution doesn’t automatically change Ohio law, though. For abortion restrictions to be lifted, someone has to challenge them in court. The laws are struck down only if judges rule that they are unconstitutional.
• The proposal: If the General Assembly can change the law so that the courts don’t hear challenges to abortion laws under Issue 1, they can prevent judges from ruling laws unconstitutional. A pair of Dayton-area lawmakers have proposed a bill that would do just that.
• Will it work?: Go here for the full story from reporter Avery Kreemer, including analysis from constitutional scholars on whether this novel approach could actually work.