Oasis Outreach Opportunity, Inc. (Oasis) is located in 4 Buildings in Akron, Ohio: (1.) The Oasis Outreach facility located at 847 Crouse St., (2.) The Oasis Healing House I located at 1500 Sackett Hills Dr., (3.) Oasis Healing House II/Harmony House located at 828 East Exchange St. (adjacent to the Oasis Outreach facility’s parking lot). (4.) Street Outreach Services (SOS) located in the house adjacent to the Oasis Outreach facility.
In January, February and March of 2020 direct outreach centered on After School Middle School Students, Students with a Goal (SWAG), Young Adult Men’s Basketball, Recovery, Young Adult Oasis participants, and Harmony House occupants. Direct outreach was limited for the remainder of the year due to social distancing requirements of the COVID pandemic. Spiritual direction and support were provided online and through phone conversations in times of crisis. One couple and their children’s commitment ceremony was held outdoors in July.
Between January 1 and December 31, 2020 – 238 individuals participated in small groups in person, online or outside with appropriate social distancing at the Oasis Outreach facility (195) and the Oasis Healing House I (43). Also, in the house adjacent to the Oasis Outreach facility, 123 homeless or at risk of homelessness young adults were served at SOS, which is the drop-in center run by Shelter Care, Inc. for older youth, ages 18 to 26. In addition, 5,692 grocery packs and 708 hot meals were distributed from the SOS house. With the 127 youth and young adults who were served at the Oasis Outreach facility through our collaborative partners, nearly 500 people, mostly youth and young adults, were involved in activities and direct services in the four Oasis locations. In addition, hundreds of food, household and hygiene items including face masks were gathered from our church partners and distributed. Oasis Outreach facility 2020
Direct outreach through Small Groups at the Oasis Outreach facility in January, February and March included: Create Thursdays, Young Adult Men’s Basketball, Elementary Youth Activities (for children of basketball players), After School Middle School Students, Students with a Goal (SWAG), ages 12-18, and ROAR Bible studies. Spiritual Direction and Collaborative Meetings continued online. In February, After School Middle School Students gathered 4 days a week (girls 2 days and boys 2 days) for a hot meal with fresh fruits and vegetables, spiritual arts activities, and recreation. New in 2020 on Monday evenings, Oasis staff worked directly with SWAG students who are in middle school and high school from the Summit Lake area.
Table 1: 2020 Oasis Outreach Facility SMALL Groups
| In Person-Small Groups | Frequency | Total Participants |
| Create Thursdays | 1 x Week | 6 |
| Young Adult Men’s Basketball | Weekly | 37 |
| Elementary Youth Activities | Weekly | 6 |
| SWAG (Students with a Goal) | Weekly | 50 |
| After School Middle School Students | 4x’s a Week | 44 |
| ROAR Bible Study | Weekly | 4 |
| Outdoors | ||
| Commitment | Once | 7 |
| Online | ||
| Spiritual Direction | Weekly | 4 |
| Collaborative Meetings | Weekly | 9 |
| Contact/Support | 28 | |
| TOTAL | 195 |
Multi-cultural Collaboration is the key to everything at the Oasis Outreach facility. In 2020, 127 collaborative participants were served. The daycare stayed open through November 2020. Harmony House Inc., which provides transitional housing for young adults, located their offices at the Oasis Outreach facility. Oasis provided support to 24 Harmony House participants, as relationships continued after the onset of the COVID pandemic through the regular distribution of food, personal and household items.
Table 2: Oasis Outreach Facility Partnership Participants in 2020
| Program | Participants |
| Harmony House Inc. (18-26 yr.) | 24 |
| Day Care (2 ½-12 yr.) | 44 |
| Fadia High School Mentoring | 24 |
| 2 Brothers Ball mentoring | 19 |
| Other (Adults) | 16 |
| Total | 127 |
- Oasis Healing House I 2020
The Oasis Healing House I housed 5 young adults in 2020. The people who resided in the Oasis Healing House I in 2020 include: Young adult occupant 1, age 30, has her BA in Social Work and works full-time as a Client Educator at Interval Brotherhood Home. In addition, she is a certified yoga instructor who has completed certification in recovery yoga. Young adult occupant 2, age 24, has graduated from the University of Akron with a Multi-disciplinary degree in Anthropology and Social Work. He works part-time at Oasis. Young adult occupant 3, age 23, is now pursuing her Masters in Speech Pathology and has plans to graduate in December 2021. Young adult occupant 4, age 30, is learning the construction trade and works full-time. Young adult occupant 5 works in recovery group home settings. She moved out in March and is now living in a place of her own. 4 Occupants continued to live safely with appropriate social distancing precautions throughout 2020. A total of 7 different Young Adult Occupants (and 2 older adult occupants) have resided at the Oasis Healing House I since its inception in May of 2017.
A shared leadership model continues for occupants as the young adults led small groups based on their passions and gifts. Compliance with COVID restrictions limited participants and frequency. However, a total of 43 young adults participated in Small Groups in 2020, which included: 12 Step workshop night, Movie Nights, Bridal Shower, Game Nights, Girls Night, Recovery Leadership Development and Guys Night. In addition, yoga was taught online from the house.
Table 3: Oasis Healing House I Small Groups in 2020
| Activity | Times gathered |
| Girls 12 step workshop night | 1 |
| Movie Night | 3 |
| Bridal Shower | 1 |
| Game night | 1 |
| Girls’ night | 1 |
| Recovery leadership meetings | 1 |
| Guys Night | 1 |
- 828 East Exchange St.
The renovation of this formerly abandoned house was completed in 2020 with the generous help of Hernandez Construction Services, Inc. The Oasis / Harmony House Inc. collaboration is providing transitional housing for young adult women, ages 18 to 26. A drive-through open house was held in August, where 75 people attended in-person safely and dropped off supplies and donations. Press provided coverage in the Akron Beacon Journal and Akron Legal News.
In October the shared living arrangements began with a thirty-year-old resident advisor, who has her master’s degree in Social Work from the University of Michigan. She is a former foster care child and as an “emancipated youth” is now wanting to give back to other girls who are experiencing the transition from foster care to independent adulthood. The second occupant also took occupancy in October. Oasis provided on-site support to occupants in Harmony House at 828 East Exchange St. and collaborative support to Harmony House staff and volunteers. In addition, Oasis distributed food, hygiene and personal items to the other Harmony House locations including other houses and one apartment building (24 total young adults).
- The House Adjacent to the Oasis Outreach facility — Street Outreach Services (SOS)
The Shelter Care Inc. Street Outreach Services program continued to address the needs of the homeless and street youth by providing outreach services that promote safety, well-being, self-sufficiency and connections with caring adults. This program assists young adults in moving and adjusting to a safe and appropriate living arrangement. The Drop-in Center continued to provide food, clothing and emotional support throughout the COVID pandemic. In addition to groceries and hot meals, SOS provided bus passes, survival bags, hygiene packs and referrals to outside agencies, including for transitional housing to Harmony House, Inc. In November of this year, SOS moved out and re-located SOS to their former Safe Landing Shelter for boys. In December Oasis removed the upstairs carpet and painted the 2nd and 3rd floor interiors in preparation for Harmony House Inc. to move in 5 young adult men in need of stable housing in 2021
- Throughout the COVID pandemic on an as needed basis, groceries, diapers, personal, cleaning, and household items and Easter treats were distributed to:
24 Harmony House occupants
6 college students
8 neighborhood families including homeless
5 middle school families
Oasis young adults
44 daycare students
Items were generously donated by Faith Lutheran Church in Fairlawn and Christ the
Redeemer Lutheran Church in Brecksville.
- In 2020 Oasis supported 6 young adult college students.
Sam graduated in December 2020 with a Multi-Disciplinary B.A. degree in Anthropology and Social Work. Prior Oasis college graduates include Jenny with a BA in Social Work from the University of Akron, Noah with an Associate Degree from Mercyhurst, and Bridget with a B.S. in Speech Pathology and Audiology and a minor in autism spectrum disorders from Kent State University.
- Other Activities Included:
- Northeastern Ohio Synod Martin Luther King Jr. Worship in January
- Pastor Lisa Arledge provided the opening prayer at Dominican Sisters of Peace Motherhouse in Akron during an ecumenical prayer in February.
- Pastor Lisa Arledge preached at Grace Lutheran Church in Dover, St. Paul Lutheran Church in Ravenna, and Israel Lutheran Church in Paris, Ohio.
- World Market provided hundreds of Easter treats and gifts which were distributed to Oasis participants, daycare youth, college students, middle school students, young adult occupants, and neighborhood families.
- Cross Cultural Conversations in Good Soil Lutheran, Rocky River
- Pastor Lisa Arledge worshiped at Christ the Redeemer Lutheran Church
and received quilts for the Harmony House at 828 East Exchange St.
- Northeastern Ohio Synod Assembly
- Akron Wooster Conference meetings monthly
- Online/in-person retreats:
| Enneagram as Mirror to the Soul | Deacon Deb Metzger |
| Ohio Rostered Leaders Retreat | Pastor Lisa Arledge |
| The Sacred Art of Living and Dying | Deacon Deb Metzger |
| Anam Cara | Deacon Deb Metzger |
