093025...R CRISIS CENTER 1...Warren...09-30-25...April Caraway, Ex. Director of Trumbull County Mental Health and Recovery Board, left, and Hattie Tracy , President and CEO of Coleman Health Services, cut the ribbon to the new Behaviorial Health Crisis Center and Sister Jean's Lighthouse Facility Tuesday morning...by R. Michael Semple

WARREN — A new lifeline for Trumbull County’s most vulnerable residents was unveiled Tuesday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Trumbull County Behavioral Health Crisis Center and Sister Jean’s Lighthouse, a supportive housing project.

The 17,080-square-foot facility at 820 Pine Ave. SE, a renovated former warehouse, will provide 24 / 7 crisis intervention services and transitional housing for women and children experiencing homelessness.

The multi-service center, a collaborative effort led by the Trumbull County Mental Health and Recovery Board, Coleman Health Services and the Greater Warren-Youngstown Urban League, is expected to serve more than 3,000 individuals annually across Trumbull, Mahoning and surrounding counties. The facility combines a crisis access center with eight fully equipped apartments, six two-bedroom units for women with children and two one-bedroom units for single women.

It is called Sister Jean’s Lighthouse in honor of Sister Jean Orsuto, a Humility of Mary nun who was the director of the Emmanuel Community Care Center in Girard for many years before her death in April 2024.

“This project is more than bricks and mortar,” said April Caraway, Executive Director of the Trumbull County Mental Health and Recovery Board, during the ceremony. “It’s about creating hope, safety and stability for people in crisis.”

Tom Conely, President and CEO of the Greater Warren-Youngstown Urban League, discussed the partnership’s impact. Conely said the housing units will alleviate pressure on the region’s only unrestricted homeless shelter, which turns away 400 people annually. The Urban League will staff the apartments 24 / 7 with three full-time and two part-time employees.

The ceremony, attended by community leaders, Sister Jean’s family, and representatives of the Humility of Mary, concluded with a ribbon cutting led by Caraway, Hattie Tracy, Warren Mayor Doug Franklin, LeeAnne Cornyn, and Jean’s cousin, Kathy Severino.

Severino spoke emotionally about her cousin’s legacy.

“This is everything she would have hoped for,” she said. “Her name will live on, guiding people to safety and stability.”

The Crisis Access Center, operated by Coleman Health Services, has private intake rooms, prescreening offices, mobile response and stabilization services, counseling, case management, pharmaceutical services, and a dedicated entrance for emergency personnel. Sister Jean’s Lighthouse, managed by the Urban League, offers short-term housing to stabilize families and guide them toward permanent housing and self-sufficiency.

Caraway talked about the project’s origins by saying that in 2019, funding from the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services enabled the deployment of Coleman, who assisted 340 homeless individuals, including 204 children, over three years. She said most were single mothers, disproportionately African-American, living in cars, tents, or on the streets. The COVID-19 pandemic added to the crisis, which Caraway said led them to seek temporary hotel placements and galvanized efforts to secure a permanent solution.

Caraway said the $4.36 million project was funded through a combination of sources, including $2.5 million from the Trumbull County Mental Health and Recovery Board, $1.5 million in American Rescue Plan funds and $1.26 million in capital grants from OhioMHAS, and $1.1 million from the city of Warren for three years of services, including a vehicle for resident transportation.

Despite challenges like stigma, zoning issues and construction hurdles, Caraway gave credit to divine intervention, dedicated partners and the late Sister Jean’s vision for the project’s success.

“Sister Jean was a spiritual lighthouse to so many,” said Warren Mayor Doug Franklin, who praised the facility as a “place of healing and hope.” He noted its dual role as both a crisis center and a home, offering “a foundation to rebuild lives.”

Tracy, President and CEO of Coleman Health Services said, “This space represents hope, stability, and new beginnings for thousands of individuals and families,” noting its capacity to touch 3,000 lives annually. Cornyn, Director of OhioMHAS, hailed the facility’s unique integration of crisis care and supportive housing, a model she said was unparalleled in her statewide experience.