Butler County Human Services continues to assist those without a place to lay their head, even during a pandemic.

Amanda Feltenberger, Human Services' director of integrated services, said while the county accommodated 26 to 28 individuals or families per night last winter, a typical night this year sees 30 to 40 households in need of a place to sleep.

Because of restrictions in place to stem the spread of COVID-19, individuals can no longer bunk together in apartments or hotels the county uses for the homeless.

The need for additional capacity necessitated by the coronavirus pandemic has increased costs for the county, Feltenberger said, but the expense has been covered by grants received through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

Another grant for $17,000 is funding two apartments the county is using for emergency sheltering in the winter, she said.

Those who find themselves in need of shelter at nighttime or on weekends are directed to the apartments, which are in Butler.

Feltenberger said those individuals call the Center for Community Resources crisis line to access the apartments, where they stay for one night before being processed and accommodated at a regular county homeless property the next day.

The reasons for the increase in the winter homeless population, she said, are many and varied.

Some are homeless due to loss of income, but many this year find themselves without the usual friend or family member who will allow them to stay.

“There is less willingness to do that this year because of COVID,” Feltenberger said.

She said the threat of spreading the virus has reduced capacity in the apartments where Butler's homeless often stay.

One property includes five apartments, where separate individuals could be safely housed in years past.

“We don't do that anymore,” Feltenberger said. “It's one household per unit.”

Others sent to local hotels cannot room together either due to the pandemic.

But Feltenberger is glad for the influx of CARES funding, which makes it possible to accommodate the additional homeless individuals and families the county has seen this year.

“If we didn't have that ability, we would be in big trouble,” she said.

One pandemic-related struggle the county Human Services Department has experienced is the increased time between a homeless person or family being processed and housed in a long-term apartment, Feltenberger said.

Before the pandemic, it took about 28 days.

“Now, the length of time it is taking to get people connected to housing is longer,” she said.

The reason for that is a lack of turnover in apartments because of the eviction moratorium, difficulty scheduling appointments with landlords, clients not being able to get the documents they need to qualify and fewer units available.

“(COVID-19) has had an impact in lots of different ways,” Feltenberger said.