Doug Lockhart takes a long puff of his cigarette. He knows its a bad habit, but he has worse.Lockhart is sitting outside New Life Mission, a nonprofit best known for its food pantry. Last night, he slept at the Butler County Sheriffs Office. He wasnt under arrest, he just needed somewhere warm to sleep.Anybody could be in this situation, Lockhart says.The 48-year-old used to run a successful cleaning business, but lost his home and his wife because of struggles with addiction.You never see it coming, he says. Most people dont even realize theyre one paycheck away from it.On Thursday, he came to New Life for coffee, a cigarette and a group of volunteers he calls family. People think its just a soup kitchen, Lockhart says. This is way more than a soup kitchen.Felix Russo knows it must be. Hes the director of the Hamilton nonprofit, which is most known for its food pantry and free lunch.Its frustrating for us, Russo says. We almost become like hospice. In other words, were just making people comfortable until they die.Because he knows his organization cant solve homelessness with just a warm meal. Thats why he started inviting counselors and doctors to the mission to fill in the gaps for as many people as possible.Theyre still falling through the cracks, Russo says. Theyre here. And we see it every single day.And thats why Kathy Becker is here, too. Because she knows there are more people experiencing homelessness in the county than the most recent official estimate of 246.People have developed a distrust of the system, said Becker, the director of mental health outreach services for Access Counseling. It matters when you meet people where theyre at.Its why she went looking for Lockhart as soon as she arrived. She finds him drinking a cup of coffee with lots of cream and sugar. She tells him if she didnt find him today she was going to send a search party after him. They both laugh, but she says later she was not joking.I dont want someone to die out there because no one is looking for them, Becker said.Outside, Lockhart starts crying. He's talking about how he's treated at New Life and how he is treated everywhere else. They see a person, he says. I dont mean to get emotional, but when you get sh** on so much, its nice to see people with a heart people who actually care.Lockhart tells a recovery worker he was supposed to go to a rehab center last week.You go when youre ready, she tells him.A few minutes later in her car, he says hes ready.Its been a long time coming, he says.