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No Gateway Center: South Bend Changes Gears on Homelessness Strategy

Jennifer Weingart/WVPE Public Radio

 

With more funding from state sources the city of South Bend is no longer planning to open a gateway center for people who are homeless. The city is now planning for more permanent supportive housing.

The gateway center was going to be a triage for those experiencing homelessness. It would house people temporarily and transition them into more stable situations. But the city only had the funding for 18 units of permanent supportive housing.

The state funding will cover the cost of building an additional 20 units. It will also cover 40 vouchers for scattered housing in existing units around the city. 

South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg said the state funding came as questions were raised about the gateway center model.

“Our main service providers expressed concerns saying ‘look if you build a gateway center but there’s not enough permanent housing for it to be a gateway to, it just becomes another shelter that’s not as good as the permanent shelters that we have.’”

The housing will not be up and running in time for this coming winter. The city still needs to secure a location for the new project. For weather amnesty the city is working to ready the newly purchased Salvation Army building. 

In the future, staff at the South Bend Center for the Homeless will help steer people in need toward the new units of permanent supportive housing--as they do with the other services available in the community.