Oxford Housing Advisory Commission discusses cold shelter options

The Oxford Housing Advisory Commission met on Aug. 7 with three main items on the docket. 

Habitat for Humanity project

Assistant City Manager Jessica Greene updated the commission on a future meeting date with Oxford’s Habitat for Humanity.

“We are meeting in two weeks to talk about beginning infrastructure and getting them funds,” Greene said.

Oxford received nearly $2.5 million in funds through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) in 2021. These funds aim to improve infrastructure, housing and economic development in the city.

The city still has $1 million left in funding to be completely spent by Sept. 30, 2026. The money is proposed to be split into two equal halves, around $500,000 each, between the Habitat for Humanity project and the New Roots Oxford project on Hester Road.

Greene added that the project is moving slightly slower than hoped, as the application portal for the project is not yet open. 

Commission Chair Steve Schnabl asked Greene about the public response to the project.

“Some [are] happy, some are unhappy,” she added. “I think Habitat has done a good job of answering questions and handling comments.”

New Roots Oxford updates

Greene turned the conversation to the New Roots Oxford project on Hester Road.

“They are eager to get started,” Greene said, “but they also want to know what is in our development agreement before they invest.”

To help with these concerns, Greene said the city has drafted a “very good start” on a development agreement that highlights and details specifics regarding expectations on affordability for the care and keeping of the property, ensuring affordability when the property transfers or is sold. She added that the document includes provisions that would help protect the city as well as the project.

“We want to make sure we are getting what we want out of this partnership,” Greene added.

The document has been sent and is being reviewed by New Roots Oxford.  

Oxford resident Ann Fuehrer commented on the New Roots Oxford project and expressed her comfort with it.

“I went to one of their public presentations,” Fuehrer said. “They did a great job at providing further details, renderings and responding to people’s questions. I felt really good about the development team that was there.”

Schnabl added his own comfort with the project and the development team.

“These folks are so committed,” he said.

Cold shelter updates

Since Talawanda Oxford Pantry and Social Services (TOPSS) informed the city that it would not be able to provide cold sheltering in Oxford this upcoming winter, Greene has been looking for alternative options.

Greene spoke to Oxford Area Solutions for Housing (OASH) about the possibility of helping with cold shelters. OASH was not able to help with this winter’s cold shelters. 

Greene then organized a group meeting with different pastors from around Oxford to gauge interest in helping provide this resource to the city.

In this meeting, Greene laid out the current state of the cold shelters while articulating its specific needs and conditions. 

A second meeting took place that included conversations about logistics.

Currently, the faith communities in Oxford are working on ideas, while Greene provides information and answers to questions that arise.

“The city will do everything we can to pave a way to make this possible,” Greene said. “I feel confident that [with] whatever is needed, we will draft legislation that can address the need.”

Commission member Anne Bailey added that she is meeting with members of the faith community to look for solutions. She mentioned that there is a decent amount of dialogue that is required to help move this project to the next stage.

“This is a big thing,” Bailey added. “There’s a lot of anxiety about doing something that is this big of a change.”

According to Bailey, Oxford Vineyard Church will be servicing the homeless in December, while Fellowship Hall at the Oxford United Methodist Church will help in January 2026.

The commission then spoke about the idea of providing additional resources to homeless people in the area. 

“One of the things we really want to do is do more than sheltering and providing meals,” Bailey said. “We want people to leave it a better place than when they arrived.”

Bailey hopes to add services that could include job training, health care and even vaccinations. 

TOPSS has offered help in providing services for homeless people in Oxford.