New unhoused family shelter opens in Muncie
In Delaware County, the Center Township Trustee’s office has recently opened a family shelter. It’s designed to provide short-term housing and services for those going through hard times. And as IPR’s Thomas Ouellette reports, unlike other local shelters, it’s dedicated to keeping families together.
Marilyn Kay Walker is the Center Township Trustee. She says her office receives two to three calls a week from struggling families that don’t have a place to stay. The Muncie area has shelters for men individually and women and children together, but no place for a mixed-gender family. Until now, with the opening of Lone Pine Lodge.
“It’s going to give them a sense of hope that they can stay together first of all, and they can work their struggles out together as a family instead of being separated,” Walker said.
Walker says that Lone Pine will also be able to help individuals staying there with case management to assist in getting them placed into more permanent housing.
The new building cost about $1.6 million to build. Lone Pine will be able to house up to six families at once. It provides them each a room and access to amenities like a kitchen, laundry, a children’s area and 24/7 on-site assistance.
“There’s a child’s room where they can do homework and they’ve got toys that they can play with in games,” says Walker. “In the kitchen they’ll have their own refrigerator and they have their own pantry that they can lock up.”
Several units in the building also feature connecting doors to allow space for larger families to live together.
Walker adds that several precautions have been taken into account for the safety of children that will be living at Lone Pine. For example, she says it will not allow sex offenders to stay there, a curfew will be in place, and residents are not allowed to have guests over.
A bus terminal is located right outside of the shelter to help residents travel when needed.
Walker says, for now, families are allowed to stay up to 90 days – but changes can be made as needed. She says Lone Pine will be ready for move-in starting December 1.
Thomas Ouellette is our reporter and producer. Contact him at thomas.ouellette@bsu.edu.
