'Homes 4 Tracy' opens in South Bend, offering transitional shelter for homeless women

 

SOUTH BEND, Ind.-- A new not-for-profit in South Bend, working to help women transition out of homelessness, celebrated its soft opening Tuesday.

"Homes 4 Tracy," located at 1602 S. Michigan St., will serve as a transitional home for South Bend's homeless women, starting this April when the first residents move in.

They can stay for 6 to 8 months while they also maintain a job and work on building their credit and learning financial literacy.

Founder and director of "Homes 4 Tracy," Clara Ross, uses her experience of being homeless for a brief period of time to drive her work helping others in the same position she was in.

She said the goal of "Homes 4 Tracy" is to help women go from homeless to homeowner.

"This will create a village within itself," she said. "She will have a social support system here of women who think like her and act like her. So, when these women transition out in 6 to 8 months, they will have a village themselves. And they will be able to talk to each other and uplift each other."

Ross said she did not take any grants for the project, and the community donates everything in the home.

"It's more than just getting them housing, something else is missing. It's more than them getting jobs, something else is missing," she continued. "And this is what I said: if you don't change your mind and your heart, your environment is not going to change. That's what this is. To help them begin that journey of changing this and this then this will change."

To learn more about "Homes 4 Tracy," email [email protected] or visit the Facebook page.