Save Portage Manor meeting looks at alternate solutions for building

SOUTH BEND, Ind. - The citizen group Save Portage Manor and South Bend’s chapter of the NAACP held a town hall meeting Monday evening to discuss ways to keep county officials from moving forward with plans to close down Portage Manor.

The meeting’s consensus? To take more time to think about other options for the county home.

Speakers referenced other facilities across the state that Portage Manor could mimic through renovations.

Todd Zeiger, from Indiana Landmarks, suggested registering the over 100-year-old building as a historic landmark, the possibility of funding coming with the title.

Ultimately, attendees expressed frustration and panic at the thought of themselves or loved ones losing what they consider to be “home.”

"I've been through not knowing what it's like to have a place to call home before...When you've been there as long as I've been there, it's like a family to you," said Mark Huffman, a 33-year resident of Portage Manor. 

The county council will vote on March 14 to move forward with the closure or not.