St. Joseph Mission’s new transitional home to be a ‘safe space’ for women

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (ADAMS) – On Monday, Fort Wayne Mayor Sharon Tucker joined leaders from St. Joseph Missions to celebrate the opening of a new home, which will accommodate four women who have completed their stay at the nonprofit agency’s emergency shelter.

“I’m thrilled to see this new home open its doors to women who were previously homeless,” said Mayor Tucker. “Addressing homelessness and increasing access to affordable housing are priorities for my administration, and this home is another step forward to ensuring all of our residents have a safe place to sleep at night.”

The City released the following:

The home, in northeast Fort Wayne, is transitional housing for women working toward independent living. Each woman will have their own room and will share common spaces, such as the kitchen, laundry and living room. They will pay rent based on their income and work with a life skills coach to continue their journey from homelessness to independence. The City of Fort Wayne’s Office of Housing and Neighborhood Services provided federal Community Development Block Grant dollars to purchase and renovate the home.

“Ever since we opened the doors of our emergency shelter, we dreamed about this next step,” said Erin Ness, executive director of St. Joseph Missions. “Many of the women ready to leave our shelter don’t have friends and family to rely on for help, so providing them this option gives them the support they need to take the next step toward independence.”

Women will live in the new shared housing for up to a year and then move to independent living so women exiting the emergency shelter can then move in. Currently, St. Joseph Missions averages 172 calls each month from single women seeking shelter but the emergency shelter can only accommodate 19 women each evening.

The City of Fort Wayne’s Community Development Division works to enhance economic opportunity, build strong neighborhoods and ensure a dynamic framework for growth and development. The Division’s departments include Neighborhood Code Compliance, Neighborhoods, Office of Housing and Neighborhood Services, Redevelopment/Economic Development, and Planning and Policy. Visit CityofFortWayne.in.gov/CD for more information.

St. Joseph Missions provides emergency shelter and resources for single homeless women, regardless of their faith, in an environment that respects their dignity as human persons, affords them the opportunity to live individually and collectively with others in a safe environment of self-government, and empowers them to network with local businesses and social services for employment and self-sufficiency.