Hope you’re staying warm, and welcome to the Weekly Roundup, where we bring you the top stories from today’s Dayton Daily News and major stories from the past week you may have missed.

This week, that includes the uncertain future of services for homeless men in the Dayton area; shrinking enrollment at area schools and a wrap-up of our Gem City Gamble series.

Do you have a news tip or an issue you think our reporters should look into? Contact me at Josh.Sweigart@coxinc.com, or you can use our anonymous tipline.

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Low temps highlight faults of crowded, chaotic men’s shelter

As the Dayton region dug out last week from this winter’s first major snowstorm, the local homeless shelter filled up with men seeking warmth. But the shelter’s operator says they intend to cease operations there, and are calling for the community to find a new approach to homelessness in the region.

• The numbers: The Gettysburg Gateway Shelter for Men on average sheltered about 229 men every day last year, according to a Dayton Daily News analysis of data from St. Vincent de Paul Society, Dayton. The men’s shelter on average served about 253 daily guests in 2023 and 234 in 2022.

• Context: This makes the Dayton shelter one of the largest in the state, often drawing men from across southwest Ohio to Dayton because they can’t find a room elsewhere.

• The problem: The shelter is at the edge of town, far from supporting services, and often overcrowded and chaotic. Shelter operators say it’s too big and several smaller, better located facilities would better serve clients.

• Voices: “There’s just too many people,” said James Potter, 61, who has been living at the men’s shelter for about six months. “I don’t like it one bit.”

• Timeline: Shelter operator St. Vincent de Paul Society, Dayton, is going to cease operations at the facility in about six months. Officials with the city of Dayton, Montgomery County and other local organizations say they are working to find a new operator for the current facility.

• Full story: Go here for the full story from reporter Cornelius Frolik, including what it looks like at the shelter right now and what St. Vincent officials say could be done to improve services for people experiencing homelessness.

Enrollment at most local school districts dropping: ‘Where did they go?”

Enrollment at most local school districts is down compared to five years ago, according to a Dayton Daily News analysis of area school districts.

• The numbers: This story by reporter Eileen McClory has the numbers for 10 of our largest area school districts.

• Bucking the trend: Dayton Public Schools was one of a couple districts that saw a modest increase in enrollment, which is notable considering the massive student losses the district has seen for decades to charter and private schools.

• Where did they go: Contributing factors include declining birth rates, though there is still some question about what happened to kids who left school during the pandemic.

• Impact: Declining enrollment can cause districts to reduce offerings, and has larger implications for Ohio’s workforce. Go here for the full story.

Gem City Gamble

Last week, we published our series Gem City Gamble. You can find all six parts of the series and supporting documents and video here. Or go here to listen to excerpts from a recording of Cincinnati Reds legend Pete Rose talking to his Dayton bookie about his unpaid gambling debt in a secret recording.

• The cop: Former Dayton police Detective Dennis Haller’s career spanned a dark time for the Dayton police department, giving him a front seat to the city’s criminal networks and questionable law enforcement tactics.

• The reporter: Haller was a source for Dayton Daily News reporter Wes Hills — who retired in 2004 after 30 years at the paper — and agreed to share information with Hills on the condition it stay confidential until Haller’s death, which happened in 2023.

• The series: This series uses Hills’ interviews and notes to shed new light on the largest police corruption scandal in city history, and how police wiretapping and a spurned bookie may have contributed to the downfall of baseball legend Pete Rose.