Interfaith Community PADS is welcoming a challenge from the Healthcare Foundation of La Porte to support its efforts to renovate the Sacred Heart Church into a permanent place to serve the homeless.
The foundation’s challenge grant will match dollar for dollar up to $100,000 and then two for one the next $18,750 donated if raised by May 1, 2020, said Ed Merrion of ICPADS.
PADS (Public Action to Deliver Shelter) serves the homeless in LaPorte County as a source for shelter, food and connections to move toward a new path. Its programs provide an emergency overnight shelter for men, women and women with children. The organization is raising funds to renovate the former church, on West 8th Street, into a permanent shelter. Currently, it partners with churches to provide the overnight sites, which means moving around many times a week.
“Having the opportunity to reside in a permanent site will increase our effectiveness,” Merrion said. “More effective service will mean that our guests will spend less time suffering from homelessness.
“The Healthcare Foundation of La Porte’s challenge grant puts us in the position to grab the opportunity to make a permanent shelter happen.”
The building being gifted by the Diocese of Gary requires about $300,000 in upgrades and updates, including new water and sewer lines, new bathrooms, sprinkler and fire alarm systems, a wheelchair access ramp and a warming kitchen. The building also needs overall remodeling to create separate shelters for men on the upper level and women and children on the lower level.
“We have reached 75 percent of the first goal of the challenge. Because we serve residents from all over the county who have fallen through the cracks, we encourage the whole community to help us support this campaign,” Merrion said.
Merrion highlights how homelessness is often a misunderstood issue.
“It can happen and has happened to anyone. Sometimes, it is a result of poor choices, but often it occurs because of circumstances beyond a person’s control. In 18 years of service, our volunteers have seen the whole gamut of reasons,” he said. “It is very hard to get back on one’s feet when one does not have a base of operations to work from. We have dealt with people from every walk of life, all while moving the program sites nightly from church basement to church basement. In a way, our program for the homeless has been homeless.”
Merrion said the organization has received a $5,000 donation from First Presbyterian Church in Michigan City, which founded the ICPADS program, toward the match.
“When the holidays are on us, people traditionally reflect on what they have. One way to be grateful is to give back,” he said. “We hope the community will meet the foundation’s challenge and bolster our efforts toward a real home.”
Donations can be made through the nonprofit’s website at www.interfaithcommunitypads.in, through the GoFundMe link at gofundme.com/f/permanent-emergency-shelter or by mailing a check to PO Box 38, Michigan City, IN 46361. Donations from individuals, businesses or organizations are welcome.
Interfaith Community PADS serves LaPorte County’s homeless as a source for shelter, food and connections to move toward a new path. The nonprofit is a temporary haven for homeless men and women, including women with children. The organization is currently working toward renovating a donated former church to turn into a permanent home through its fund-raising efforts.
For more information, visit www.interfaithcommunitypads.in.