EST. 1998
Newbridge Place
Our original home on Wooster Street: 16 residents, fourteen private rooms and one shared, wheelchair accessible, with a private backyard. Veterans and non-veterans, men and women.
They served
with courage.They shouldn't face
the battle at home alone.
Newbridge Place provides permanent and temporary housing, along with 24/7 support, for low‑income veterans and neighbors facing mental health and substance‑use challenges — so recovery has an address.
28
years of continuous care
26
residents home tonight
90%
fewer crisis events
$0
government operating subsidies
Tonight, 589 Ohio veterans have no place to call home.
Many live with post-traumatic stress, traumatic brain injury, or co-occurring behavioral health and substance use disorders — conditions that turn the usual path of shelters and short-term programs into a revolving door back to the street, the hospital, or jail. They deserve better. They deserve a door that stays open.
Source: HUD Point-in-Time count. Updated annually.
589
veterans without a home tonight
A home. Care that never clocks out. A path forward.
A permanent home
Private rooms in real houses on a quiet street in Lodi — not an institution. Residents stay as long as they need, and for many, that means for good.
Round-the-clock care
Trained staff on site 24 hours a day, coordinating medication, appointments, and support for co-occurring behavioral health and substance use disorders and traumatic brain injury.
A path forward
Case management, benefits navigation, life skills, and a full calendar of activities — from backyard cookouts to trips our residents talk about all year.
Seeking placement for a veteran or loved one? Call 330‑948‑8000 — one conversation covers availability, funding, and next steps.
"I have never been on a vacation since the war."
Every year, our residents pack their bags for a weeklong vacation together — the lake, the resort, the long dinners, all of it. For some of our veterans, it is the first vacation of their adult lives. That's what stability makes possible: not just safety, but joy.
Hear from our communityAbout us
Three homes. One family. Twenty-eight years.
Newbridge Place began in 1998 with a simple observation and a stubborn founder. Erzsebet "Liz" Mikita saw that adults living with serious behavioral health conditions — many of them veterans — weren't failing in housing because they lacked willpower. They were failing because no housing existed that was built for them: affordable, permanent, and staffed around the clock by people who knew their names. So she built it.
All three homes are licensed by the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services and certified by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs for its Community Residential Care and Medical Foster Care programs.
OPENED 2017
Newbridge Veterans Place
An eight-bed home dedicated to veterans, with priority placement for veterans who are Medicaid-eligible and experiencing homelessness. Live-in staff. Trained service dogs welcome.
SEMI-INDEPENDENT
The Newbridge Condo
A two-bed residence for residents ready for more autonomy — with a safety net that never disappears.
Board of Directors.
Newbridge Place is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors and led day to day by its founder. Together with a team of about 15 employees, they keep three homes running around the clock, every day of the year.
President of the Board
Robert Andrews
Realtor
Treasurer
Debra Beckstett
Retired Executive Director of Alternative Paths, Inc., LISW-S
Officer
Michelle Evans
Bank manager
Board Member & Past President
Joe Lattanzio
Veteran and business owner
Officer
Neica Lungaro
Entrepreneur
Officer
Tara Myers
Fundraiser
Founder & Executive Director
Erzsebet Mikita
Founded Newbridge Place in 1998 and has led it ever since
Accountability
Our books are open.
Newbridge Place is independently audited every year. We operate without government operating subsidies, so every donated dollar is stewarded carefully — and we show our work.
In 2025 we completed major capital improvements at both homes — new siding, roofing elements, HVAC, boiler, electrical, flooring, kitchen, sewer line, and paved parking — with our Executive Director serving as general contractor, positioning our facilities for years of low-maintenance operation.
Download our audited financial statements below.
501(c)(3) nonprofit • EIN 51-0598275 • BBB Accredited Charity • Independent audit by Strong Point Accounting & Tax LLC
In their own words.
Inspiring stories, changing lives
"What growth I have seen in him has been transforming... Most of all, I have seen him start to believe in himself and that his life matters."
Anna, mother of a resident
"The heartfelt dedication and compassion that Elizabeth and the staff extend to the residents align with what I was searching for in a non-profit organization."
Joe Lattanzio, board member, past president & U.S. Army Reserves veteran
"After a pasta dinner at the Medina Eagles Club, I suggested they start an annual campaign. The first year we raised around $15,000. Now we are raising nearly $40,000."
Richard Heilman, volunteer fundraiser
"Newbridge Place has a home-like atmosphere for residents, where family and friends are always welcome to visit."
Family member of a resident
Impact
90%
reduction in crisis-service use — ERs, psychiatric hospitalization, police intervention — versus residents' lives before Newbridge
26–36
adults served every year across three licensed homes
~15
trained staff providing 24-hour care, including live-in staff
$0
government operating subsidies — this home runs on generosity
Stability isn't a warm feeling — it's a measurable intervention. When home is permanent, the 2 a.m. emergencies mostly stop happening.
Mid-September → Veterans Day, November 11
Annual Capital Campaign
From a pasta dinner to nearly $40,000 a year. Every fall, our community comes together for the eight weeks between mid-September and Veterans Day to fund what matters most: our low-income program. Many of our residents live on small disability or pension incomes that don't cover the true cost of a home with round-the-clock care — and because we accept no government operating subsidies, this campaign is what closes that gap. No one is turned away because they are poor.
This year's goal: $25,000 — keeping permanent supportive housing within reach of the low-income veterans and neighbors who need it most.
$11,450 raised toward $25,000 — thank you, Fraternal Order of Eagles, Medina Aerie, for leading the way.
Giving by check? Write "Capital Campaign" in the memo line.
How it started
After a pasta dinner at the Medina Eagles Club, volunteer Richard Heilman suggested we stop exhausting our volunteers with a dozen small fundraisers and hold one annual campaign instead. The first year, our community raised around $15,000. Today the campaign raises nearly $40,000 every fall — and it still ends the same way it began: with neighbors deciding our veterans deserve better.
Our supporters
✦Wayne County Community Foundation
✦Ridgecliff Foundation
✦Musca Family Foundation
✦The Giving Place
✦DAV Charitable Service Trust
✦CSX
✦Bowlers to Veterans Link
✦F.O.E. Medina Aerie
✦The Sam J. Frankino Foundation
✦S.K. Wellman Foundation
✦Living Water Association
✦Hillier Family Foundation
✦Northern Ohio Golf Association
✦Medina County Community Fund
✦Veterans of Foreign Wars of Medina, OH
✦Looking Out Foundation
✦Wadsworth American Legion Post 170
✦Lodi American Legion Post 523
✦Cyrus Eaton Foundation
✦+ family foundations & donors
Keystone Circle
$10,000+
Span Builders
$5,000–$9,999
Foundation Circle
$1,000–$4,999
Bridge Builders
$250–$999
Friends of Newbridge
Every gift, every size
Donate
Every dollar stays in Lodi, Ohio, keeping 26 veterans and neighbors safe, cared for, and home. Newbridge Place is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit (EIN 51‑0598275); gifts are tax-deductible as allowed by law.
Volunteer
Newbridge runs on a small staff and a big heart, and there is honest work here for almost any talent.
Start with a visitHow placement works.
There is no housing application form. Veterans living with chronic mental illness who need structured housing can ask their VA case manager for a referral to the VA Community Residential Care program in the Medina County area.
Work with us
Our staff are the reason three houses feel like homes. If you want work that matters — hands-on, human, and never boring — we'd love to hear from you.
Download the employment application (PDF)In-kind giving
- A new pavilion at Newbridge Veterans Place — a gathering area for picnics and activities (in-kind support and material donations welcome)
- Clean out and aerate the existing pond at Newbridge Veterans Place — a serene spot for relaxing and fishing
- Upgraded kitchen cabinets and counters at Newbridge Place
- 32-cup and 12-cup coffee makers
- Hot & cold filtered water dispenser
- Paint supplies and indoor-outdoor paint
- Assorted light bulbs
- New bed pillows, twin and double sheet sets, comforters, and towels
- Gift certificates to movie theaters, museums, events, games, and fast food restaurants for residents' day outings
Wish list updated July 10, 2025.
How to give items
Call first: 330‑948‑8000 — we'll confirm what's needed most right now and arrange a drop-off time at 645 Wooster St.
Receipts: in-kind donations are tax-deductible; we'll gladly provide a receipt for your records.
Trades & services count too: plumbing, painting, barbering, photography — skilled hands are some of our most valuable gifts.
Prefer to shop online? Call or email us and we'll point you to what's needed most — items can ship straight to the house.
One story a month. Zero spam.
One resident story, one number that proves your impact, one simple way to help. Unsubscribe anytime.
We never sell, rent, or share your information. Ever.
Get in touch.
Whether you have a question about placement, want to volunteer, or simply want to learn more — we'd love to hear from you.