The conversation around homelessness is about to take center stage at the Midland Theatre in Newark, where the acclaimed documentary “Beyond the Bridge: A Solution to Homelessness” will screen as part of its national 40-city impact tour.
Produced by A Bigger Vision Films, “Beyond the Bridge” is the result of a 40,000-mile journey across the United States to answer one central question: How can this country solve homelessness in a comprehensive way? The film shows solutions already working and argues that homelessness is not unsolvable. It’s a tough challenge, according to the film producers, but one communities can overcome if they come together with the right resources, policies and political will.
The event will be hosted by the United Way of Licking County, and is sponsored by The Edwards Group at Morgan Stanley, the Coalition on Homelessness in Ohio (COHHIO), Licking County Coalition for Housing, Licking Memorial Health Systems (LMHS), Licking County Chamber of Commerce and Second Presbyterian Church of Newark. This is part of a series of conversations regarding homelessness in the community. The movie will screen at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday night at the Midland Theatre at 36 N. Park Place in Newark, and will be followed by a series of conversations related to permanent supportive housing and the growing ALICE – asset limited, income constrained, employed – population.
Homelessness has become a hot-button issue in Licking County, where several communities have passed legislation creating a “camping ban” and formed a homelessness diversion program called “HOME” court in the last year.
The new court, Housing Opportunities through Municipal Engagement, was created in the wake of Newark and Heath’s public camping ordinances, and held its first hearing in May. The court hears cases from across the county when the defendant is unhoused and facing a misdemeanor. Its main goal is to connect unhoused people with the proper services to help them get back on their feet – resources like housing providers, local nonprofits and churches.
As Newark struggles with a growing homelessness crisis, Alejandra Leon has become a steady voice on the front lines, working every day to help people find a place to call home.
Leon has lived in Newark since 2008 and works as a housing services coordinator with the Licking County Coalition for Housing. In her role, she helps families and individuals experiencing homelessness transition into stable housing and rebuild their lives.
Leon, who testified at Newark City Council meetings against the camping ordinance, called it “backwards.”
“They want to provide services before making sure that people are housed, which is something absolutely essential,” she said. “You need a place to sleep, a place to eat, a place to go to the bathroom before you can even think about working on your health, your mental health, your addiction, whatever you are struggling with.”
Leon said housing is a basic need, not a luxury, and is as important for survival as clean air and water.
Despite the challenges, Leon keeps going because of her belief that change is possible, even if it comes slowly. “I know that I may not see very big results from my work because it’s a work that takes a lot of consistency, a lot of persistence, and a lot of people to join it,” she said. “I’m not hanging on to success immediately. I know that in the end, there’s something that has to give in.”
What Leon sees in Newark is part of a much larger story. The struggles here reflect a statewide issue, one that stretches from big cities to small towns across the state of Ohio.
In an article from The Statehouse News Bureau on Ohio’s affordable housing shortage, the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio (COHHIO) reports that the state is “short more than 264,000 affordable rental units for low-income households.” Since 2020, the gap between what the average renter earns and what they need to afford housing has grown by 148%. As a result, thousands of families are being pushed to the brink, forced to choose between paying rent, buying groceries, or covering medical bills.
The 2024 Affordability by Job report drives the point home. To rent a modest two-bedroom apartment without spending more than 30% of income, a worker in Ohio must earn $21.69 an hour — about $45,100 a year. Yet many essential jobs fall far below that. Home health aides average $14 an hour. Food service workers earn closer to $13. Even teaching assistants, at $16, still can’t afford a home. Only higher-paying professions, like nurses or electricians, cross the affordability threshold, and those require training out of reach for many low-income and ALICE families.
Read more: Number of households struggling is on the rise in Licking, ALICE community partners meeting shows
They are the cashiers, home health aides, delivery drivers, and childcare workers who keep communities running but still cannot afford the basics of housing, childcare, healthcare, and transportation. United for ALICE research shows that “41% of U.S. households fall into this category,” revealing just how close many working families are to slipping into homelessness.
Attending the film is free, though attendees must reserve a ticket through the United Way event website here.
Brie Coleman writes for TheReportingProject.org, the nonprofit news organization of Denison University’s Journalism program, which is supported by generous donations from readers. Sign up for The Reporting Project newsletter here.