Making a Difference: Arconic Foundation awards $39,000 grant to Interfaith Community PADS to create permanent site to help LaPorte County’s homeless • Northwest Indiana Business Magazine
LaPorte County Homeless shelter

Making a Difference: Arconic Foundation awards $39,000 grant to Interfaith Community PADS to create permanent site to help LaPorte County’s homeless

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LaPorte County Homeless shelter
Friends and supporters of the Interfaith Community PADS women's program stand in front of one the original sites for the program: the First Presbyterian Church. The nonprofit is raising funds for a permanent home to serve the homeless community in LaPorte County. (Photo provided by Interfaith Community PADS)

Interfaith Community Public Action to Deliver Shelter, which provides temporary shelter to homeless men and women, recently was awarded a $39,000 grant from the Arconic Foundation.

The money will go toward a campaign to pay for an estimated $300,000 in renovations to the former Sacred Heart Church on West 8th Street in Michigan City, which will be the shelter’s future home. The building was gifted to Interfaith Community PADS by the Diocese of Gary to serve as a permanent place to help the homeless.

“We are a very small organization and just became a 501 (c) (3) organization in 2017, so a grant of this size shows us that the Arconic team believes in us,” said Harry Holtkamp, ICPADS director. “Taking on this project is a huge endeavor for us and Arconic Foundation’s assistance is vital as we work toward our fund-raising goal.”

Arconic Foundation partners with nonprofits in the areas where it has roots to drive positive impact in those communities. Arconic is the parent company of LaPorte County-based Howmet, a maker of aerospace industry components, which has been in the area for more than 50 years.

“While permanent housing, often coupled with supportive services, is the best way to end homelessness, many individuals and families need stabilization before they can find housing that will meet their long-term needs,” said Tera Grinnell, Arconic HR director. “Statistics indicate that a permanent shelter can increase the rate at which people can exit from homelessness.”

The needed renovations include new sewer lines, rerunning of water lines and building a ramp as well as the addition of new bathrooms, fire suppression systems and a kitchen. The building requires an overall remodeling to create separate shelters for men and women as well as those with children.

The connection to Sacred Heart Church will continue, Holtkamp said. The food pantry that has been in operation in the basement since 1970 will remain.

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