More than $900,000 in federal funding has been allocated to address homelessness in Starke County. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development presented a check Wednesday to Porter-Starke Services, a nonprofit community mental health center.
Lisa Swayne leads Porter-Starke's housing team. "At this very moment, I have clients that are sleeping in tents in Starke County," Swayne said. "This grant will go to work immediately."
Addressing homelessness in the rural county has been a challenge. Efforts to set up a facility for people needing temporary shelter was met with opposition from neighbors, and Swayne said Starke County currently lacks any permanent supportive housing.
This HUD grant aims to change that. Those who've been homeless for more than a year and have a disability like a serious mental illness will be able to get a subsidy for rental housing in the community. The grant also includes extra funding for things like food, transportation and furniture. Swayne said a couple of landlords have already agreed to take part in the program, but she still has to find several more.
HUD Indiana Field Office Director Kimberly Wize said she's excited about Porter-Starke's "one-stop shop" approach. "Where a person can come in and get everything that they need by way of health, whether it's mental health of substance abuse. They can also get resources for housing," Wize noted.
Swayne pointed out that housing is critical to many other parts of a person's life. "And I know firsthand how hard it is to do anything when you're living in a tent in the woods. You can't get mail. You lose your meds. You lose your tent. You don't know what time it is. You can't make your appointments," Swayne added.
The $925,532 awarded to Porter-Starke was part of almost $3.1 million allocated to Indiana and almost $315 million nationwide. HUD Midwest Regional Administrator Diana Shelley says solving homelessness in rural communities is a priority, and she commended Indiana and Porter-Starke Services.
"You beat out a lot of other communities. That means that your mission was clear, the probability of your success was clear and the improvements that you have committed to making to your community have been noted by the Department of Housing and Urban Development.," Shelley said.
