Talk of the Town - Whitley County

By Jennifer Zartman Romano

Many people are surprised to hear Whitley County has a homeless shelter.

We don’t see people sleeping on park benches or huddled in corners, under rough, soiled blankets. But, as with many hard truths in life, just because we can’t see it, doesn’t mean it isn’t there.

Indeed, there are homeless in Whitley County – they aren’t nameless faces from other towns. They’re people we’ve seen, names we might know. They sleep on friends’ couches or in their cars, but they truly have no place of their own.

Eight years and one week after the first residents began to arrive at the doorstep of The Lighthouse shelter, the facility continues to provide a place of hope, healing, respite and personal growth for men, women and children. Beginning in a small, two-room house, the facility has now more than filled the former Columbia City Motel on Business 30 near the American Legion Hall.

According to statistics released during The Lighthouse shelter’s annual meeting Thursday night, the shelter served 405 people – exactly 168 women, 63 men and 174 children – in addition to providing 1,996 referrals to other agencies.

In 2007 alone, The Lighthouse had a total of 370 referrals and served 100 people not only in the facility, but through outreach services and addressed the immediate needs of 38 people on the brink of homelessness.

They addressed issues: 28 people suffered from psychological issues, 27 people suffered from drug or alcohol abuse and 39 residents experienced physical abuse before coming to the shelter, including 20 children, 17 women and two men who experienced domestic violence.

The facility, an effort of The Interfaith Mission, a collective group representing many faiths is a non-profit entity supported by grants, governmental funding and the generosity of local residents.

While at the shelter, residents are not only given a place to live, but education and expectations in several areas, including self-esteem, employment, parenting, nutrition, personal finances and more.