Overnight shelter
A safe, warm place to sleep with dignity. In 2025 our beds gave nearly 6,000 nights of rest to people with nowhere else to go.
Wooster & Wayne County, Ohio
Everyone deserves a place to call home.
Homeward Bound gives neighbors facing homelessness a safe place to sleep, a warm meal, a hot shower, and real help toward getting back on their feet.
138 people sheltered in 2025
19,588 meals served
219 volunteers
Open every day of the year for our neighbors in need.
What we do
Meeting the most basic needs first
Food, shelter, and hygiene come before anything else. Once those are steady, our guests can start working toward something more lasting.
Day center
A welcoming daytime space with meals, case management, laundry, and showers. More than 6,000 visits last year, and a cooling center when the heat turns dangerous.
Meals every day
Breakfast, lunch, and dinner, cooked with help from more than 60 local churches and groups. Nearly 20,000 meals served in 2025.
Our 2025 impact
A year of showing up
These numbers are real people in our own community, met with a bed, a plate, and a hand up.
0Bed nights of safe sleep
0Meals served
0Day center visits
0Showers taken
220 individuals used the day center, 138 stayed overnight, and 219 volunteers gave 1,250 hours across 949 shifts.
Who we serve
Homelessness has many faces
Some of our guests have been on the street for years. Others lost a job last month and are one missed paycheck from losing everything. All of them are our neighbors.
We serve everyone who comes to our door, and some of our own staff have lived through homelessness themselves. That shapes how we treat every person who walks in.
- Families hit by a sudden job loss or crisis
- Veterans working through housing and mental health
- People managing mental health or recovery
- Neighbors who are chronically homeless
- Anyone worried about losing food or shelter
Where your money goes
A little covers a lot
We keep costs low and put gifts straight to work. Here is what a donation does at Homeward Bound.
$50
A warm bed for one night
$150
A hot meal for 60 people
$1,500
A full day of shelter, meals, showers, and staff
Get involved
More hands make this work
Money keeps the lights on, but people keep the doors open. There is a place for you here.
Volunteer a shift
Serve a meal, help with laundry, or lend a hand around the shelter. Come on your own or bring a group.
Cook for a night
Gather your church, business, or family to prepare and provide a meal for our guests.
Donate goods
Drop off supplies during donation hours, 8 to 10am or 4 to 6pm, at 981 Grosjean Road.
In good company
Built on local partnership
More than 60 churches and organizations help feed and support our guests, alongside partners across the county.
OneEighty
Mental Health & Recovery Board of Wayne & Holmes
Wayne County Veterans Service Commission
Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank
A Whole Community Inc.
Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry
In the news
Don't just take our word for it
Newsrooms across Northeast Ohio have followed this shelter from an empty building to a place neighbors count on.
Stand with your neighbors
Your gift is a bed, a meal, a fresh start
Every dollar stays close to home and goes straight to the people who need it most in Wooster and Wayne County.