Our History
Beach House Family Shelter opened in 1921 to offer shelter to unprotected women and children. Over our 100+ year history, we have helped thousands of families transition from homelessness to permanent housing. Learn more about our history below.
History & Significance
In 1921, Beach House Family Shelter was founded by Helen (Beach) Jones to provide shelter for unprotected women and children.
Beach House Family Shelter received tax-exempt status in 1942, and received a charter from the State of Ohio as a nonprofit corporation in 1963. The name, "Women's Protective Association" was changed to "Beach House, Inc."
In 1982, F.O.C.U.S. was founded to assist with long-term supportive housing, food, and case management. The goal of F.O.C.U.S. was to help families gain independence and economic stability through education and employment.
Also in 1982, Beach House Family Shelter began to include emergency family shelter and services for intact families, including fathers, and single-parent fathers with children.
In 2016, Beach House Family Shelter merged with F.O.C.U.S. to create Leading Families Home. The organization expanded its role to provide housing and economic stability through trauma-informed behavioral health, education, employment, therapy, case management, substance use disorder (SUD) treatment resources, and aftercare services to the homeless in the greater Toledo area.
Currently, the list of families seeking emergency shelter is over 190 individuals with an unknown number of children.
History of Beach House Ashland
Beach House Ashland is part of Leading Families Home. The building was acquired in 2016 as part of the merger between Beach House Family Shelter and F.O.C.U.S. Since this time, the facility has been utilized as administrative space for Leading Families Home.
Once a nursing home facility, Beach House Ashland offers a generous amount of individual rooms. In 2020, Leading Families Home started renovations on this facility to create an additional overflow emergency family shelter for those facing homelessness in Lucas County.
Currently, the list of families seeking emergency shelter is over 190 individuals with an unknown number of children. Beach House Ashland opened in June 2023, and can house up to 75 individuals. This facility allows us to serve 3x more individuals in addition to those served at Beach House Family Shelter on Erie St., but we can't do it without your help.
