NELSONVILLE, Ohio — A new resource center in Nelsonville aims to reduce barriers community members face in accessing social service providers.
The Athens County Community Cares Resource Center, located on Nelsonville Public Square in the former Fruth Pharmacy at 10 W. Washington St., will open on Monday.
“The idea is to take a 360-degree approach to our customer,” said Athens County Department of Job and Family Services Executive Director Jean Demosky. “Our goal is to provide the people with the skills to be self-sufficient.”
The agency operates its main office at the county home building on State Route 13.
Demosky said the new Nelsonville location will allow the agency to better support people in the area, because “a lot of our customers are from this part of the county” and “so many of our rides are from this area.”
Job and Family Services will offer transportation and social workers for re-entry support as well as help in getting training and certifications.
Other partners will have office space in the building, too, including Athens County Children Services and COMCorps, an AmeriCorps program through the Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine.
COMCorps will offer health programming, Demosky said.
Athens County Children Services Executive Director Otis Crockron said the space represents an easier way for many clients to access support from the agency.
“Not everyone has the same amount of access to transportation,” Crockron said. “We have plenty of clients in that area that we could assist. We wanted to make sure we have a space to do that.”
Crockron said the agency will offer different services out of the location on different days, providing financial assistance, vouchers or gas cards.
Demosky said this will be the first time JFS has shared office space with Athens County Children Services.
Crockron said sharing space with JFS and other community partners makes sense, because it makes it easier for the agencies to coordinate and allows them to better serve mutual clients.
“It’s going to minimize the steps that they have to go through: jump in a car, go over to this location and go to another agency across town,” Crockron said. “If you can minimize those types of movements for families, it just give them better outcomes.”
Athens County Commissioner Charlie Adkins said the Athens County Commissioners bought the building for JFS, and he called the decision a “no-brainer.”
“When (Demosky) presented what they was going to do, helping the people, I just knew it was the thing to do for the community and for this group of people that need this — that little bit more boost,” Adkins said.
Starting Monday, July 8, Demosky said people can walk into the building.
“When they come in, the person who greets them will ask them what they’re there for, and then direct them which way to go,” Demosky said.
In addition to office spaces, the building has both large and small meeting areas. Demosky said she envisions various programs hosted out of the building — from smoking cessation classes to yoga and nutrition classes.
The building also hosts a computer training room to support digital literacy programming, and a back office space — currently filled floor to ceiling with boxes of shoes and school supplies, which JFS will give away as part of its Back to School Bash on July 31.
Having many programs and partners operating out of a single space is new for JFS.
“How about just look at the person from top to bottom and, and discover everything that they need?” Demosky said.
Residents interested in accessing services from JFS can visit one of the agency’s offices, including the new Nelsonville office, or contact the agency at 740-797-2523 or athensjfs@jfs.ohio.gov.
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