By Carly Miller
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The city council has approved the request of a land donation for a new homeless shelter at Wednesday’s meeting.
The land being donated for the shelter has been valued at $100,000 and is located at 100 State Street downtown.
The local Our Savior Lutheran Church has been operating as a shelter for the past 10 years but is unable to meet the growing demands in West Lafayette. Because of this, a non-profit organization, Coalition for the Homeless, is working towards the development of the new shelter for the city.
A majority of the council members considered the shelter to be a positive change, but there was some opposition from council member Vicki Burch.
“I don’t think these people should be moved into an area that is so near a residential neighborhood,” said Burch. “Is this the place to put these people, some of whom have mental problems?”
The coalition leaders are still working toward raising the necessary $1.5 million for the shelter, but have already collected $200,000. Executive Director of Lafayette Transitional Housing, Jennifer Layton, is very hopeful for the future of the project while serving as the president of the coalition.
“We’ve applied for state and federal grants for $1 million dollars,” said Layton. “So we’re certain that if you provide the land, we’ll be able to come up with all the money for this thing.”
Carly Miller 