CUYAHOGA COUNTY In Cleveland, site will offer temporary shelter to seniors

Up to five seniors can stay at the house for up to 90 days.
CLEVELAND (AP) -- Cuyahoga County is preparing a "senior guest house" that will serve as temporary housing exclusively for men and women over 60 who have no where else to go in an emergency.
It will be one of the few such senior sites in the country, said Stephanie Fallcreek, executive director of Cleveland's Fairhill Center on Aging, where the house is located.
The Cleveland site will have an aide who works 24 hours a day to help coordinate meals and arrange transportation and other assistance, except personal or medical care.
"We've never had good options for people who needed a temporary respite," said Susan Axelrod, the county's director of senior and adult services. "We've always had to scramble to get people a roof over their head."
Increasing need
With families often spread out across the country and more seniors living alone, there was an increasing need for a dependable solution. About a third of the 217,177 seniors in Cuyahoga County live alone.
The house will accept up to five seniors at a time. They must be Cuyahoga County residents and able to live independently. They can stay in the home for no more than 90 days. There is no charge for room and board, but Axelrod said donations will be welcome.
Foundation grants will pay for operating the home as a two-year pilot project before the county decides whether to make it permanent. Nearly $60,000 has been received so far, said Axelrod.