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St. Vincent de Paul Dining Hall closes due to unsafe conditions
YOUNGSTOWN
A downtown dining hall that serves free meals to the needy is closed indefinitely.
St. Vincent de Paul Dining Hall, 208 W. Front St., is closed after an inspection by the Mahoning County Building Inspection Department found the facility is unsafe.
An adjudication order from the county states that an employee complaint prompted a safety hazard inspection June 23. That inspection reportedly found a collapsed ceiling above a second-floor office, rotting floor under compartment sinks on the first floor and rotting floor-joist tails in the basement.
“All items are safety hazards and should not be occupied by employees/public,” the adjudication order states. The order also notes that the owner of the site is in violation of a section of the Ohio Building Code because “unsafe conditions or serious hazards” were found.
Dining hall manager Wayne Murray called the closure “heartbreaking.”
“I regret that we’re not here to serve those in need, and hopefully we’ll be back going soon,” he said.
A time line for reopening has not yet been determined. St. Vincent de Paul is waiting to get quotes on repair costs from contractors, Murray said. Repair decisions will be up to the organization’s board to decide.
Though St. Vincent de Paul was able to serve food outside last month when a ceiling buckled in, this time that’s not possible, Murray said, because now there is nowhere to prepare the food.
St. Vincent de Paul Dining Hall previously closed for a week near the end of 2015 due to former kitchen manager Ralph “Skip” Barone resigning and volunteers departing with him. Shortly thereafter, St. Vincent de Paul Society Mahoning County’s board accepted resignations of its president, vice president, secretary and treasurer.
Barone now runs Our Community Kitchen, another dining hall for the needy, at 551 Mahoning Ave. It is among the downtown dining halls that St. Vincent de Paul is now referring its customers.
The Youngstown Dorothy Day House on Belmont Avenue has dinner several nights a week.
Our Community Kitchen is “absolutely” able to accommodate people who usually eat at St. Vincent de Paul, Barone said. The hall serves breakfast and lunch six days per week.
“Everyone is welcome,” said Barone. “We ask no questions. And we offer a bag for them to take home with an evening snack.”