Stephanie Mashburn recently took over as the Interim Director at the Adams/Brown County Shelter for the Homeless. Pictured, from left, Addison Mashburn, Avery Mashburn, Stephanie Mashburn, Lakelyn Mashburn and Darren Mashburn. (Photo provided by Stephanie Mashburn)
By Ryan Applegate
People’s Defender
The Adams/Brown County Shelter for the Homeless in West Union is entering a new era of leadership as it welcomes Stephanie Mashburn as interim director. Mashburn replaces longtime director Char Brown, who retired after serving in the role for six years.
Mashburn, who worked closely with Brown before her departure, stepped into the interim role after months of shadowing and support work.
“I have been working with Char since January. Being her assistant. Just kind of filling in gaps of whatever she needed and kind of learning her role,” Mashburn explained.
A native of Asheville, North Carolina, Mashburn has only recently made Southern Ohio her home.
“I’ve been here since 2023,” she said. Before coming to Adams County, she lived in Middletown, which helped her adjust more easily to the area. “It hasn’t been too bad because I was in Middletown before we came straight to Adams County.”
Despite her background in medical office management, Mashburn feels the shift into social services is a natural one.
“It’s always been office management for doctor’s offices. This is a little different, I say it’s different, but I guess it’s not,” she said. “Because I still did all the advocating for them at the doctor’s offices.”
That desire to help others is what drove her to take on a more direct role at the shelter.
“I love the people. The people are, they kind of make it I think,” she said. “Just trying to help the people and be more involved in the community. Just being able to help them.”
Mashburn takes over as the shelter continues its mission to provide more than just a roof overhead. According to Holly Johnson, President of the Board for the shelter, the staff and volunteers are working hard to meet the growing needs of the community.
Johnson emphasized that the shelter is committed to providing wraparound services and helping individuals navigate the many challenges of homelessness. “Normally, there’s a lot of women and children that are here, families that are here, and right now we’re seeing a lot of elderly adults,” she said.
When asked why, Mashburn didn’t hesitate: “Cost of everything. I feel like they’re on such a little budget that things have gone up so much that they just, their budget doesn’t allow them to be able to afford the things that they used to afford.”
Access to affordable housing and rental opportunities remains a persistent challenge in the region.
“The resources, having more rental properties, more places for them to go,” Mashburn said when asked about the biggest hurdles clients face.
But what sets the shelter apart, both women agreed, is the personalized approach it takes in helping people find the right resources.
“I feel like here we can sit down and determine what they need and then point them in the right direction,” Mashburn said. “Sometimes I feel like they get lost in where they need to go or who do they go to for help. Here we are trying to know what’s out there, and it’s easier to direct them where they need to go.”
The future of Mashburn’s role at the shelter will be decided soon.
“The board will meet next month and determine if they’re going to advertise or promote at that point in time,” Johnson said. “She’s meeting with the Ohio Department of Development, the Pike County Homeless Shelter… They’re getting all their certifications and everything done and completed within now and the next time that the board meets.”
As Mashburn looks to the future, she and the staff hope to continue strengthening ties with the community.
“Our doors are open,” Johnson said. “We have a very giving community and we just appreciate that.”
“Staff here is happy to assist them in between there. They want to make their community a better place and they want to be able to help and assist,” Johnson added.
Mashburn echoed those sentiments in a recent statement on Facebook, saying:“I invite you to visit the shelter to see the facilities and all the updates we’ve made to better serve our clients. We are here to provide assistance to anyone facing challenges, whether it’s a bag of food or vital information for resources they may need.”
As the shelter moves forward under her leadership, Mashburn hopes to continue the legacy of service built by her predecessor while growing the shelter’s capacity to help even more people find stability, support, and a path forward.
