In the middle of a snowy afternoon Thursday, a homeless man knocked on the side door of SageRock Digital Advertising Agency at 15 Broad St.
Paul Hays and Paul Herman opened the door to reveal their thrift shop, an area in the basement of the building stocked with donations of dinner plates, chairs, clothing and anything else they could scrape together.
The homeless man browsed a few minutes before thanking the men several times and leaving to catch his bus. He asked not to be named in the article.
“That’s how a lot of homeless people are,” Hays said, explaining most prefer to stay in the background and remain anonymous.
Both Hays and Herman know the tendencies of homeless people well.
The two haven’t had a place to call home in over five years.
By day, Hays and Herman run a thrift shop called the Second Chance Store, primarily serving those who are homeless or in need.
But by night, they walk back to their tents behind Famous Supply on Union Street, tucked back far enough in the woods as to not bother anyone.
They won’t be there much longer, though. Summit Metro Parks posted a written notice Wednesday to all the homeless people living in the woods between East Mill Street and Eastwood Avenue that they have until Saturday to remove their belongings before construction on the third phase of the Freedom Trail begins. Any leftover belongings will then be held at park centers for 30 days before they’re disposed or destroyed, the notice says.
The path of construction runs straight through Hays’ and Herman’s campsite, which is home to anywhere from three to 13 people, depending on the season.
“It’s not exactly ‘freeing’ anybody,” Hays grumbled. “I don’t know what we’re going to do.”
“There’s only so far you can go, really,” Herman added.
Summit Metro Parks could not be reached for comment Thursday.
Hays said park rangers roamed the area a few days before to warn people in person, but many homeless people are away from their tents during the day, so Hays has worked to contact anyone who didn’t receive the notice.
“I’ve got no problem with the Freedom Trail, it’s just I wish the city would do a little more to help,” Hays said. “You’re not gonna get rid of homeless people.”
Summit County has several homeless shelters and organizations that help the underserved population in one way or another, but Hays and Herman say it’s still not enough.
That’s why, despite their most recent living predicament, the two have dedicated themselves to filling in the service gaps for people in need just like themselves.
Hays opened the Second Chance Store about three months ago with the help of Herman and Sage Lewis, who runs the marketing company on the main level of the building. Lewis is also an auctioneer and donates any items he doesn’t sell to Hays, who either sells items for $1 each or simply hands them out for free.
Hays and Herman get a small portion of the profits — helping them “more or less with eating and what not,” Hays said — while the rest goes toward maintaining the store.
Lewis ran for mayor of Akron in the 2015 election. During that time, he turned to the homeless population for support and met Hays.
“Paul Hays in particular is a very important part of this because he’s been very instrumental in making this place happen,” Lewis said. “[Hays and Herman] are people that by all visual appearances are in need, but they’re the most giving people you would know.”
Hays, with bright blue eyes nestled between a black beanie and unkempt beard, spends much of his days networking with homeless organizations and reading about things he’s interested in, like computer programming.
Once a man who owned two homes and had a steady 12-year career, Hays can relate to the population he serves firsthand.
After a bad breakup more than six years ago, he turned to alcohol and found himself on a steady decline.
“The next thing I know, all the people supporting me at the time turned their backs and I fell on my face,” Hays said. “I figured, now I’m homeless, so let’s do something about it.”
Since then, Hays has worked with Lewis to do everything from working with homeless people individually to proposing more permanent homeless housing solutions to the city.
“I don’t care about money,” Hays said. “You’ve got to help people ... and it helps me too, no doubt about that.”
Theresa Cottom can be reached at 330-996-3216 or tcottom@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter @Theresa_Cottom .