Goshen Interfaith Hospitality Network finds new home

Dec. 8—GOSHEN — The Goshen Interfaith Hospitality Network could soon have a new home.

In a news release issued Monday evening, officials with Goshen Community Schools announced the formation of a partnership with GIHN, a local nonprofit homeless services agency, involving the repurposing of the school district's Merit Learning Center, also known as the former Riverdale Elementary School, into a new permanent home for the nonprofit.

"IHN has been looking for a programming home in Goshen as they fulfill their mission of providing resources and temporary shelter for the homeless, in partnership with many local church congregations," the release states. "IHN will be able to better serve their guests with a facility designed specifically for these needs."

According to Mindy Morehead, executive director of the GIHN, the plan involves transitioning the nonprofit's main office and homeless shelter, which currently serves single women and families, from their current location at St. Mark's United Methodist Church, 502 N. Main St., to the Merit property at 801 W. Wilkinson St.

"We went to St. Marks as a pilot program three years ago," Morehead said of the nonprofit's current location. "We used to rotate around to multiple churches. Every week, our families would go to a different church. And being at St. Marks, it's gone really, really well for us. It's given us the ability to expand, and take single females. But at the same time, it's also on the second floor, and it's not handicap accessible. We've had limitations. So, this new partnership would be putting us in our own space."

As proposed, the plan involves GIHN entering into a long-term lease with GCS for the use of the Merit property. As part of the deal, the school corporation will get to continue operating its adult night school program out of the site, while GIHN will take over all aspects of the property's maintenance and upkeep.

"For GCS, the partnership will mean that an aging, inefficient building with several cost prohibitive factors will no longer drain the corporation's budget," the release states. "GCS will retain programming on site, including the current Night School Program. GCS and GIHN may also form new programming that meets the needs of both organizations as they continue to work together."

According to Morehead, the nonprofit's St. Marks site currently serves about 22 guests on average. Her hope is with the move to the Merit property, she'll be able to bump that number up a bit, she explained.

"We don't know all the details yet, as we have to wait for some zoning changes," Morehead said of exactly how many guests the new shelter will be able to accommodate once it's established. "But as of right now, from what we have worked out, we will be able to accommodate everything and everyone that we will need to.

"At our current church site, our average is 22 guests, and our average stay is eight and a half months," she added. "We are a program shelter. We are not a low-barrier shelter. So, people come in for their lives to improve and move forward. And that's the plan with the new location."

As for any renovations needed in order to convert the school property into the new shelter/office, Morehead said GIHN will be covering all of those costs as well as part of the agreement.

"We've been in operation for 25 years, and our services have never not been needed in that time," Morehead added of the need for the shelter. "We serve community members, and the reality is that there are homeless here in Goshen, and we need to serve them. They have a right to be within their community. They have a right to live in their community and get the help that they need."

NEW CITY PARK?

According to Morehead, the city also has plans to participate in the proposed partnership, having expressed interested in utilizing the green space adjacent to the Merit property as a future city park.

"That is still in the works on exactly what that will look like," Morehead said. "They are, I believe, doing a neighborhood assessment to see what is really needed in the community right there. But there will be something utilized there, a green space for the neighborhood."

Per the news release, a plan for the lease agreement between GCS and GIHN is currently in the works and will be brought before the Goshen school board for an official vote at a future meeting.

The release also notes that more details and a community meeting regarding the GIHN proposal will be announced soon.

John Kline can be reached at john.kline@goshennews.com or 574-533-2151, ext. 240315. Follow John on Twitter @jkline_TGN.