COLUMBUS, Ind. — Columbus Township Trustee Ben Jackson and Love Chapel have announced the opening of Brighter Days Housing. The facility serves the area homeless population, but it’s more than just a bed.
The facility in the 400 block of South Mapleton Street was repurposed after serving as the Columbus Township Fire Department maintenance building for several years. By moving maintenance operations to the fire stations, Jackson believes the process has been streamlined and safety has been improved. The building is now leased to Love Chapel for $1 per year.
As a homeless shelter, the building has the capacity to hold 20 men and 16 women, and the ability to expand if needed during the winter months. The shelter operates 24 hours a day, seven days week, with up to five workers provided by Love Chapel.
Because the facility does not have a commercial kitchen, Intake for those who need assistance is conducted daily from 6-9 p.m. after local hot meal sites have closed. Through Love Chapel, a continental breakfast is offered each day. Through the alliance of the trustee’s office and Love Chapel, occupants have access to mental health, medical treatment, and job search services. Occupants are required to leave the shelter by 9 a.m. to look for work, report for work, or attend required appointments. If a person encounters a housing need, an after-hours phone number is available, 812-344-4512.
The transformation of the building was completed with thousands of volunteer hours, materials and equipment donated by the Columbus Department of Public Works, Columbus City Utilities, Lohmeyer Plumbing, CASE, Milestone Contractors L.P., Dunlap & Co., Central Sheet Metal, Cummins, Faurecia, Camp Atterbury Job Corps, ABC Cutting Contractors, Dave Staublin, Mission Columbus, and many local churches.
Prior to Brighter Days Housing, emergency housing needs cost Love Chapel and the trustee’s office at least $60,000 per year. Past procedures were to attempt to place those in need in other local shelters or purchase market-rate motel accommodations if those shelters were full. Jackson says the shelter is a more appropriate setting for those in need of services and the savings are a welcomed change for both organizations. Love Chapel fills 250, four-hour shifts per year, and the search is on for qualified volunteers. Interested potential volunteers can call 812-372-9241.
Jackson says the facility provides a safer, supervised and more sanitary continuum of care option. Occupants have day-to-day contact with a case worker that can insure they are looking for or reporting to work, accessing services and in some cases following a prescribed treatment plan.