Local homeless shelter still has no place to go

Abrahman Morales comes to the Shalom Community Center every day. It's the only place the homeless man can get a real meal, take a shower and do laundry. It's less than a mile from campus, where the average student spends more money on an education in a semester than Morales will see in years. Now, this center dedicated to serving the homeless could find itself without a home.\nShalom, 110 S. Washington St., was founded four years ago "on a shoestring and a prayer," said Executive Director Joel Rekas. \nThe current building is scheduled to be torn down next spring to make way for a commercial business and parking garage, and Shalom has yet to find a new home. \nThe volunteer-driven center feeds about 250 people a day, Rekas said. \nIn May the center moved most of its operation from the basement of the First United Methodist Church, 219 E. Fourth St., to its current location in the basement of a building across the street, he said. \n"It was people piled on top of each other," Rekas said of being located in the church, which now houses the food portion of their services. "We just didn't have enough space." \nAfter spending 10 months and about $60,000 renovating their new building and using it for less than a month, Shalom center leaders were told the building was going to be torn down so Bloomington-based Finelight, an advertising and marketing firm with several offices across the country, can build a new complex, Rekas said. The change will take away the buildings for other small businesses such as Greek's Pizzeria and Ladyman's Café. \n"The last thing anybody wanted to think about was starting all over again," Rekas said.\nHeartland Development, the parent company of Finelight, has talked with Shalom about reimbursing them for the money spent on the renovations, Rekas said. \n"They've been actually very easy for us to work with," he said.\nRekas is not about to lose confidence. Shalom will continue its progress as soon as the group finds another building, he said. \n"We'll be fine," Rekas said. "The Shalom Center isn't going to close. It will continue to grow and thrive into the future. It just means we have to move." \nThe mayor's office recently told Shalom it would help with the search for a new building, Rekas said. Losing Shalom is not an option, he added.\nOne of Rekas's biggest concerns is that Monroe County has the highest poverty rate in Indiana, he said. He believes his organization is one of the few that run a daytime shelter from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. for the homeless. \n"On a given day, more than half the people we see are homeless," Rekas said. "One of the ways any community should judge itself is how those who are most vulnerable are doing. It may be invisible, but there are a lot of people not doing well."\nMorales has been homeless for two and a half years and relies on Shalom every day. He and his 20-year-old son have spent as many as four months sleeping in the woods during winter, he said. \nMorales spends time volunteering at Shalom, as well.\n"I just kind of like to help out because they've helped us out a lot," he said. "It's really nice to have it here."\nShalom offers free meals for breakfast and lunch every day, as well as giving out basic toiletries like toothpaste -- things that most people take for granted, Rekas said. Patrons also have access to showers and laundry — all for free, which Rekas said is a big deal to people who live outside.\nA staff of six to seven employees helps run an employment program called Job Links.\n"Every day there are success stories," he said.\nOne man who came to the center found work at a laundromat, Rekas said.\n"He got a job and wanted to make sure we knew that," he said.\nShalom operates primarily on money from individuals and faith-based organizations, Rekas said, but also depends heavily on volunteers. \n"I don't think a student is getting a full education without emerging in world issues," IU senior and volunteer Curtis Griner said. "That's why I stay here. The bottom line is I don't feel right when I'm not around here." \nPam Kinnaman, volunteer coordinator, said many people are only a paycheck away from needing services like the ones Shalom provides.\n"I don't believe in throwing anyone away," she said. "That's what you do if you don't help these people — you're throwing them away."\nThe important thing for the community to realize is that Shalom is not closing, Rekas said.\n"We're focused on the future," he said. "It may present itself as a real opportunity. We may come out of this with a better facility"