Plan aims to end homelessness in Porter County

VALPARAISO | The number of people who are homeless in Porter County is growing, and many more are at risk, according to a plan released Monday at Ivy Tech Community College.

No Place Like Home, a 10-year plan to end homelessness, found 154 adults homeless in January 2011, up from 91 in 2010.

Additionally, 10,673 individuals in the county have incomes below the poverty level and are at risk of becoming homeless, said Amy Rynell, with the Social IMPACT Research Center.

The Chicago-based center was hired for $35,000 by the Porter County Coalition for Affordable Housing to research and write the plan, which includes strategies for refining the county's homeless service delivery system to prevent homelessness and rapidly re-house people.

The goal is for all residents to have access to a safe, affordable home, as well as resources and support services, Rynell said. The success of the plan depends on everyone in the community, she said.

"Ending homelessness is not something a social service agency, a nonprofit or a church (alone) can do," Rynell said.

Caroline Shook, executive director of Housing Opportunities, a coalition member, said one of the goals of Monday's presentation was to get people thinking about homelessness and how they can help end it.

The audience was given a list of 10 things they could do to help, including raising funds, volunteering time, and treating people who are homeless with dignity and respect.

"We really have to get a wide range of people at the table," Shook said. "It has to be a community plan. It's going to take everyone, from businesses to schools to government."

Shook said one of the priorities is to create a centralized intake process and packet of information for people who are homeless so they won't have to repeat their story to a variety of agencies.

More than 100 people attended the presentation, which included comments by a panel of leaders from Housing Opportunities, Porter County Aging and Community Services, the Valparaiso Mennonite Church, Porter-Starke Services and The Caring Place.

Speaker Jennifer Dillin, who grew up in Valparaiso and later moved to Phoenix, told of how she became homeless after suffering domestic violence. After leaving her husband, she returned to Valparaiso, where she was assisted by The Caring Place.

"I was a broken, battered woman without a home, and they helped me start my new life," Dillin said.

Barb Young, president of the Porter County Community Foundation, another coalition member, said the community needs to do more than offer a hand out, it needs to offer a hand up.

"Stories like Jennifer's are why it's so important for our community to have a safety net," Young said.