Fellowship Missions Opens Homeless Shelter In Warsaw
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Jennifer [email protected]
Fellowship Missions opened the shelter at 1520 E. Winona Ave., east of the YMCA, on Sept. 25.
An open house for the public to tour the new shelter was Aug. 24. The 9,000-square-foot single-level building was donated to Fellowship Missions by a group of investors in 2013 and is the former Ken Anderson Films building.
The building was gutted and subcontractors, individuals, businesses, churches and schools assisted with renovations. The building received new walls, paint and ceilings. Security cameras were installed inside and outside the shelter.
Residents are required to receive a breathalyzer test each night before entering the shelter. Plans are to offer church services at the shelter and a culinary arts program for residents in the shelter’s kitchen.
The shelter currently houses 24 residents, and there are 46 beds available, according to Eric Lane, Fellowship Missions executive director. There are seven women, three children and 14 men living at the shelter.
Check in is between 4 and 8 p.m. for women and children and 5 to 8 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays and check out is at 9 a.m.
The shelter is open all day Tuesdays and Thursdays. On Sundays check out is at 9 a.m. and the facility reopens at 1 p.m.
Fellowship Missions has closed the shelters that were previously the men’s shelter at 425 S. Buffalo St. and the women’s and children’s shelter at 337 N. Buffalo St. Both shelters were open for 4-1/2 years.
“In 4-1/2 years we have had more than 430 individuals come through our shelter and last year 172 adults and 76 children under age 14 came through our shelter,” Lane said. “We knew there was a need a long time ago for a shelter and it hasn’t slowed down in the last three years.”
Those who stay at the new shelter receive emergency needs care such as food, showers and clothing and a there is a long-term program for self sufficiency.
Those who stay at the shelter are required to volunteer at the shelter.
“We help with life skills such as budgeting, hygiene, job skills and other barriers such as assisting them with mental and physical disabilities by partnering with local agencies to assist with those needs,” Lane said. “We want to give them the tools to come out and be on their own and be productive. The shelter is just one part of the service, but we also want to come alongside them and give them the tools they need to be able to live their lives productively.”
There are caseworkers who meet with shelter residents every week or every other week to help determine what residents need to work on and how to help them achieve those goals.
Residents are provided with breakfast, lunch and dinner and clothing.
The women’s and childrens shelter area and the shelter for men are in seperate living quarters. There is a dining area with a kitchen for residents and seperate decks behind the shelters for women and children and for men.
Each living quarter has common areas, restrooms with showers and sleeping areas with bunkbeds. There is a children’s room with books, toys and a television in the women’s and children’s living quarters.
The shelter has an office area for Lane and the women’s and children’s shelter house manager and volunteer and donations coordinator Nadine Gibbs and men’s shelter house manager and kitchen coordinator Steve Gift. The organization has 40 volunteers who assist with check-in, volunteer with residents for food preparation and case management and administrative services duties.
Two of the people who live at the shelter have already benefited from services.
Marvin, 26, has been a resident at Fellowship Missions for four months. He volunteered at the shelter by helping build a deck area for residents at the new shelter and installing kitchen cabinets.
His home burned down after an electrical issue in February.
Marvin’s friends from Syracuse informed him of the shelter in Warsaw and he decided to live at the shelter.
“The shelter has made a big impact on my life. When I lost my home I had nowhere else to go,” Marvin said.
Marge, 57, has lived at the shelter since June 17. She quit her job a year and a half ago and was cleaning and the chemicals created health problems. She lived in a trailer in Warsaw and did not have the funds to pay her rent.
“I’ve been alone for so long. It’s nice to have people around to talk to and a place to lay my head at night where I feel safe,” she said.
Marge said she helped shelter staff move from the former shelters to the existing shelter. She is now a house monitor and assists the women and children.
People who would like to volunteer at the shelter or donate food or clothing can contact Fellowship Missions at 574-268-9555. To donate financially, mail checks to P.O. Box 382, Winona Lake, IN 46590
The organization’s website is www.fellowshipmissions.net or visit Fellowship Missions on Facebook.
People can drop off food and clothing Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Tours are provided during the week and those interested are encouraged to call Fellowship Missions for a tour.[[In-content Ad]]
Fellowship Missions opened the shelter at 1520 E. Winona Ave., east of the YMCA, on Sept. 25.
An open house for the public to tour the new shelter was Aug. 24. The 9,000-square-foot single-level building was donated to Fellowship Missions by a group of investors in 2013 and is the former Ken Anderson Films building.
The building was gutted and subcontractors, individuals, businesses, churches and schools assisted with renovations. The building received new walls, paint and ceilings. Security cameras were installed inside and outside the shelter.
Residents are required to receive a breathalyzer test each night before entering the shelter. Plans are to offer church services at the shelter and a culinary arts program for residents in the shelter’s kitchen.
The shelter currently houses 24 residents, and there are 46 beds available, according to Eric Lane, Fellowship Missions executive director. There are seven women, three children and 14 men living at the shelter.
Check in is between 4 and 8 p.m. for women and children and 5 to 8 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays and check out is at 9 a.m.
The shelter is open all day Tuesdays and Thursdays. On Sundays check out is at 9 a.m. and the facility reopens at 1 p.m.
Fellowship Missions has closed the shelters that were previously the men’s shelter at 425 S. Buffalo St. and the women’s and children’s shelter at 337 N. Buffalo St. Both shelters were open for 4-1/2 years.
“In 4-1/2 years we have had more than 430 individuals come through our shelter and last year 172 adults and 76 children under age 14 came through our shelter,” Lane said. “We knew there was a need a long time ago for a shelter and it hasn’t slowed down in the last three years.”
Those who stay at the new shelter receive emergency needs care such as food, showers and clothing and a there is a long-term program for self sufficiency.
Those who stay at the shelter are required to volunteer at the shelter.
“We help with life skills such as budgeting, hygiene, job skills and other barriers such as assisting them with mental and physical disabilities by partnering with local agencies to assist with those needs,” Lane said. “We want to give them the tools to come out and be on their own and be productive. The shelter is just one part of the service, but we also want to come alongside them and give them the tools they need to be able to live their lives productively.”
There are caseworkers who meet with shelter residents every week or every other week to help determine what residents need to work on and how to help them achieve those goals.
Residents are provided with breakfast, lunch and dinner and clothing.
The women’s and childrens shelter area and the shelter for men are in seperate living quarters. There is a dining area with a kitchen for residents and seperate decks behind the shelters for women and children and for men.
Each living quarter has common areas, restrooms with showers and sleeping areas with bunkbeds. There is a children’s room with books, toys and a television in the women’s and children’s living quarters.
The shelter has an office area for Lane and the women’s and children’s shelter house manager and volunteer and donations coordinator Nadine Gibbs and men’s shelter house manager and kitchen coordinator Steve Gift. The organization has 40 volunteers who assist with check-in, volunteer with residents for food preparation and case management and administrative services duties.
Two of the people who live at the shelter have already benefited from services.
Marvin, 26, has been a resident at Fellowship Missions for four months. He volunteered at the shelter by helping build a deck area for residents at the new shelter and installing kitchen cabinets.
His home burned down after an electrical issue in February.
Marvin’s friends from Syracuse informed him of the shelter in Warsaw and he decided to live at the shelter.
“The shelter has made a big impact on my life. When I lost my home I had nowhere else to go,” Marvin said.
Marge, 57, has lived at the shelter since June 17. She quit her job a year and a half ago and was cleaning and the chemicals created health problems. She lived in a trailer in Warsaw and did not have the funds to pay her rent.
“I’ve been alone for so long. It’s nice to have people around to talk to and a place to lay my head at night where I feel safe,” she said.
Marge said she helped shelter staff move from the former shelters to the existing shelter. She is now a house monitor and assists the women and children.
People who would like to volunteer at the shelter or donate food or clothing can contact Fellowship Missions at 574-268-9555. To donate financially, mail checks to P.O. Box 382, Winona Lake, IN 46590
The organization’s website is www.fellowshipmissions.net or visit Fellowship Missions on Facebook.
People can drop off food and clothing Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Tours are provided during the week and those interested are encouraged to call Fellowship Missions for a tour.[[In-content Ad]]
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