TERRE HAUTE — Months of work behind them, activists for the homeless see light ahead for the reopening of Deborah’s House.
“Mainly it’s just messiness,” Bernard Ryan remarked Monday inside the house at 2808 S. 111/2 St.
Deborah’s House is a property operated by Families By Choice, a not-for-profit organization working to combat homelessness in the Wabash Valley. Ryan said the group purchased the 3,000-square-foot house about three years ago and uses it as a “transitional shelter” for single mothers and their children. Its partner property, Timothy House, hosts young men 18 years and older while they transition from foster care, he explained.
But at present, much of the first floor of Deborah’s House is gutted to the studs.
The rest of the first floor and most of the second are full of clothes, toys, plates, dishes and personal property of former residents. The property was condemned and vacated in August, but the group received a work permit Monday and plan to renovate at full steam, Ryan explained.
The property was housing nine people from different families when the resident supervisor left, he said. Ryan, who co-founded Families By Choice with his wife, Muriel, said everyone involved believed the women and children living there would be able to manage unsupervised. But holes in the walls and hanging electrical sockets, dirt and stains across the carpet all show differently, Ryan acknowledged, noting that plans have been implemented to ensure future supervision.
Muriel Ryan said, “The model works,” referring to the transitional properties, but both agreed supervision is a must. “We are definitely looking for house supervisors,” she said, explaining that the role is ideal for those on fixed or reduced incomes who want the benefits of a multigenerational household. The supervisors live in the house rent-free, she said, adding that utilities are prorated among those who live in the home. “I think it’s ideal for couples who are retired, who have raised families so kids don’t get on their nerves,” she said, adding that some of the younger, single mothers need a little “coaching.”
Residents in the Deborah’s House program are employed and use the group living for 18 to 24 months while saving money and gaining skills to move out on their own. “Ours is the only transitional housing in town,” Muriel Ryan said, explaining that most facilities offer “crisis housing” or shelter managed from a standpoint of immediacy.
The cost to bring Deborah’s House back into operation is about $5,000, she said, adding that “we don’t necessarily need that in money.” Donated drywall and other materials are coming in and the group is soliciting volunteer workers. “Labor’s the biggest thing.”
Muriel Ryan said women are ready and waiting to use the facility, and they hope to have it done by November’s end. “Actually, we’d love to have it done before Thanksgiving,” she said.
Phil Morin stepped through the open studs of the first floor, pointing to work planned for this week. Morin and his family were rendered homeless in March when an apartment in their building exploded because of an alleged meth lab. Morin, his wife and children, currently live in the Ryans’ basement, which has recently been approved as Section 8 housing.
Morin, who is disabled because of a back injury sustained while in the U.S. Air Force, said he’s ready to get to work and just needs a little help. “What we would like to see is people help volunteer,” he said, noting that students from Ivy Tech are already lining up for what they believe could be a relatively quick job, depending on numbers.
“We’re just educators,” Bernard said of his wife and him. “We’re not industrialists or robber barons with a lot of money.”
But the setback hasn’t altered the group’s vision, and Muriel noted that the recent loss of board member Bettie Davis has inspired them to expand with the purchase of another house to be named in her honor.
Anyone who can swing a hammer, experienced or not, is welcome to help, she said.
More info
Local & Bistate
Related Photos
-
BOB POYNTER
-
BOB POYNTER
-
BOB POYNTER
-
BOB POYNTER
Discussion
Working to reopen Deborah’s House: ‘Transitional shelter’ for single mothers, their children
- Local & Bistate
-
-
Rockville correctional facility program teaches life skills
It’s hard to know who benefits the most: the inmates or the dogs.
-
AAA mag recognizes city for arts works
The nonprofit organization that uses outdoor sculpture to draw attention to Terre Haute is getting some notice of its own.
-
State pushing for convenience stores to make safety a higher priority
In 2002, after New Mexico forced convenience store owners to put sweeping security measures into place for clerks working late-night hours, the number of robberies dropped by 92 percent. Assaults, murders and other crimes at convenience stores also dropped dramatically.
Now Indiana officials are hoping voluntary compliance with similar safety standards will bring about similar results.
-
Patriotism & Honor
From his vantage point, Sonner Faught could see almost every volunteer in the cemetery.
-
Graduation turns to mourning in Clinton
Jeana Lunsford’s graduation from South Vermillion High School Saturday should have been a time of celebration.
-
School choice proponents foresee growth of vouchers
Twenty-seven Vigo County students benefited from tax-supported vouchers during the first year of the Choice Scholarship Program, and that number is expected to grow for 2012-13, say Indiana school choice leaders who visited Terre Haute Thursday.
-
Tales of obstruction meet first takeover attempts
A decade after Indiana legislators gave the state the power to take over chronically failing schools, the first implementation of the law is meeting with resistance, skepticism and questions about its costs.
-
MIKE LUNSFORD: Raising a flag for my father, veteran or not
My daughter, Ellen, and I stood at my parents’ graves on Mother’s Day a few weeks back and talked about how it couldn’t possibly have been so long since we lost them. My dad, for instance, has been gone for 16 years, and that is nearly unimaginable
-
3 rescued from burning residence
Quick action on the part of some first-responders is credited with saving the lives of three people in a Vermillion County fire early Saturday morning, according to the Vermillion County Sheriff’s Department.
-
He never forgot a name: Friends remember victim of fire at Garfield Towers
When Freddie Poore met you, he never forgot you.
-
Hometown boy embraces ‘Promise I Made’: Clinton native Ken Kercheval takes role in Dreams Come True production
Thanks to some help from a hometown boy in Hollywood, “This Promise I Made” is still on track to be kept in Clinton.
-
STATE OF THE STATEHOUSE: Many say they don’t vote in primary because of tag that comes with it
A couple of columns ago, I posed a question about why most Indiana polling places on primary election day had so few customers.
-
Police looking for convenience store robber
Police are seeking a robbery suspect following a Saturday morning armed robbery at the Jiffy MiniMart at 25th Street and Eighth Avenue.
-
Graduation ‘responsibility’: Rose-Hulman stages 134th commencement exercises
Inventor Dean Kamen gave a first-hand demonstration Saturday of how to be an innovator.
-
THE OFF SEASON: To the seniors, one last lecture before you go …
It dawned on me one day last week, as I sat at my desk in my teacher clothes and shoes, a stack of ungraded essays calling to me from a rather tall and depressing pile, that I hadn’t missed a high school graduation in 33 years.
-
Water rescuers
Emergency personnel wheel a man who was removed from a vehicle that had been driven into the water at Crystal Lake on Boston Avenue near 14th Street at about 9 p.m. Friday.
-
For many, camping outdoors is the way to beat the heat, enjoy nature
Stringing up fishing poles in the shade of American flags, households full of Hoosiers are packing into parks across the state this weekend.
-
Towns along National Road readying for next week’s miles-long yard sale
Stretching 824 miles from Baltimore to St. Louis, the National Road — known as U.S. 40 through Indiana — will soon be the host site for perhaps the longest bargain market in the country.
-
Rose grads honoring late president Branam at commencement today
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology’s Class of 2012 will honor the memory of Matt Branam during today’s commencement ceremony by wearing special pins with the phrase “Make It Happen; Make It Fun,” a favorite saying of the former Rose-Hulman president, who died unexpectedly on April 20.
-
Vigo County Jail Log: May 26, 2012
The following individuals were booked into the Vigo County Jail by area law enforcement on Thursday and Friday, based on jail records. Charges are recommended by arresting officers but are not final until the Vigo County prosecutor reviews the case and files official charges.
-
A fallen soldier returns home
An Army carry team moves a transfer case containing the remains of Spc. Arronn D. Fields early Thursday morning at Dover Air Force Base, Del.
-
Official touts trade with northern neighbor
A top Canadian diplomat told a Terre Haute audience Thursday his country was “disappointed” when President Obama at least temporarily rejected a proposed transcontinental oil pipeline from Alberta to Texas.
-
Caution urged for summer’s kickoff
Lane restrictions in construction zones on Interstate 70 and other highways around the state will be lifted to accommodate holiday travel for the Memorial Day Weekend.
-
Letters delivered
Several positions will be eliminated this summer at the Terre Haute mail processing facility as the U.S. Postal Service begins moving the operation to Indianapolis, a U.S. Postal Service spokesman has confirmed.
-
Companies seek Vigo tax abatements
Two Vigo County companies are seeking tax abatements for expansion projects, one of which is included as part of a county incentive package.
-
High-speed chase suspect caught in West Virginia
The suspect in a cross-country, high-speed chase originating in Terre Haute last week was reportedly in federal custody Thursday evening.
-
Second victim of deadly I-70 semi-trailer crash identified
The Vigo County Coroner’s Office has identified the passenger of a semi-tractor crash on May 16 in the eastbound lanes of Interstate 70 near the 12-mile marker.
- VIGO COUNTY JAIL LOG: May 22-24, 2012
-
Burn ban in effect for Vigo County through holiday weekend
Vigo County officials have issued a burn ban effective Thursday and remains in effect until 8 a.m. Tuesday.
-
Brazil remembers a Fallen Son
A small town seemed sadly quiet Wednesday, waiting to honor a local fallen warrior.
- More Local & Bistate Headlines
-
Man Falls Off Crane, Dies After Police Standoff
Obama Honors Fallen Troops at Arlington Cemetery
Man in Crane at Texas College Says He's Armed
Raw Video: Deadly Explosion at Minn. Paper Mill
Raw Video: Cop Shoots Man Eating Another's Face
Unexpected Smog in Pristine National Parks
Air Canada Plane Makes Emergency Landing
Dairy Farm Uses Chiropractor to Help Cows
Romney Promises World's Strongest Military
Russia Condemns Ally Syria Over Massacre of 108
Raw Video: 19 Dead in Qatar Shopping Mall Fire
Obama Pays Tribute to Vietnam Veterans
Beryl Knocks Out Power in Florida
Raw Video: Earthquake Shakes Evacuees in Italy
Service Dogs Help Wash. Soldiers Battling PTSD
Beryl Makes Landfall on Florida Coast
Japan Farmers Plant, Seek Radiation-free Rice
Raw Video: Memorial Day Aboard Intrepid
Raw Video: Heckler Bursts in on Blair Testimony
UN Blames Syrian Forces for Shelling Houla
LeAnn Rimes Rocks Short Shorts
Drunk Women Breaking Into Houses: A New Trend?
Beyonce Shows Off 60 Pound Weight Loss at Concert
Gordon Ramsay Carried Off Field
Man Dies Getting Lap Dance
Bear cools off in Calif. family's pool
Kim Kardashian Claims Items Stolen from Her Luggage
Ep. 3: Chopped Desserts
Air Force dad surprises family at baseball game
Justin Bieber Wanted for Questioning for L.A. Scuffle
J.Lo and Marc's Friendly Reunion
Jet makes emergency landing after debris falls off
Cynthia Nixon Ties the Knot
Woman, 80, Falls Out of Skydive Harness Mid-Jump
Keira Reveals Engagement Ring
Dog runs alonside cyclists for 1,100 miles
Lady Gaga Cancels Indonesian Show After Threats
