Organizers of a new intake center for the homeless in South Bend received two pieces of good news this week.
Motels4Now Executive Director Sheila McCarthy was among the advocates who rallied against an effort to criminalize homelessness this week in the Indiana General Assembly. Some Republican legislators wanted to let police arrest people camping in public spaces with a Class A misdemeanor.
Critics called it a zombie bill because lawmakers had removed the language from two bills, yet it was slipped into a third bill on Wednesday, the session’s second-to-last day. McCarthy was relieved Thursday to learn the wording had again been removed from the third bill.
McCarthy got more good news this week. She learned the Community Foundation of St. Joseph County has pledged $250,000 toward the $14.3 million facility they plan to build on old Cleveland Road in South Bend.
"It feels so encouraging and affirming that they are recognizing people experiencing chronic homelessness as valued members of our community," McCarthy said. "People have really seen that we can make a big difference in our community in getting people off the street and not having them be kind of fated to live and die outside."
