The Adams County Shelter for the Homeless can house up to 17 individuals at a time. But that is only able to shelter a fraction of those facing housing insecurity in the Appalachian county on the banks of the Ohio River.

Ohio’s poverty rate increased from 12.7 percent to 13.4 percent in 2021 — the first time in more than a decade it has increased year-to-year, according to the Ohio Association of Community Action Agencies’ latest State of Poverty report.