A years long quest to build a new homeless intake center in South Bend may finally be over.
The city’s redevelopment commission Thursday approved buying a new site after its first choice drew heavy opposition.
The city in February bought a site off Bendix Drive to give it to the nonprofit New Day Intake Center, to replace the Motels4Now program that runs out of a former Knights Inn.
They’re serving the chronically homeless, those who aren’t allowed in existing shelters often because of mental illness and substance abuse. The housing first concept is to immediately provide shelter while linking clients to resources to lift them out of homelessness.
But opponents said the Bendix site was too close to nearby parks, homes, businesses and a school, and so the city never started the rezoning process the shelter needed.
On Thursday the commission approved buying a 15-acre site at 4022 Old Cleveland Road, three times the size of the Bendix site, for $850,000. It’s next to the city’s Organic Resources, north of the Ducomb Center.
"It's a good area because it's not on a busy road, it's a tranquil peaceful environment," said Executive Director Sheila McCarthy. "Every time I'm up there I see deer. It's still within a mile of stores."
The New Day Intake Center is planning four buildings at a total cost of 18.8 million, in two phases. Phase 1 would break ground in the spring and include a main administration building, a men’s double-room guest building, and a single-room guest building.
Phase 2, to start next Fall, would build a women’s guest building.
McCarthy says it’s an exciting day for New Day. They’ve drawn a lot of attention over the past year. McCarthy hopes the community will be equally interested in helping to make the project happen.
"So it's fantastic," she said. "We listened to people that had views about where it should be, and the concerns about Bendix, so we would be grateful for their support."