City of South Bend takes next step in Homeless Intake Center coming to Old Cleveland Road

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- A new update on the latest site being considered for a new low barrier homeless intake shelter in South Bend.

The city is moving forward on a location on Old Cleveland Road after months of back and forth.

Thursday morning, the Redevelopment Commission Voted Unanimously to Move Forward with the Land Purchase agreement of the 15-acre property for $825,000 dollars.

Backlash from the previously proposed site on Bendix led to the exploration of other locations, so the commission circled Old Cleveland Road on the map for the $16 million dollars in facility.

It will house much needed resources for the homeless population all under one roof to replace the temporary solution, Motels4Now, on the city’s West Side.

It is more remote than other locations, has access to public transit, and is larger with more space to grow.

First, they will have to go through a number of remaining steps in the process including closing on the sale, rezoning, and multiple public approvals that will give the public a chance to weigh in.

"I think locating a facility like this is there's gonna be a lot of public conversation and there has been over the years and so we think we've reached a site that is really hitting all the needs, but also responsive to some concerns that have been raised over the years and so we're optimistic,” said Caleb Bauer, the City of South Bend’s Executive Director of Community Investment.