Source: The Republic
A collaboration between Centerstone, United Way of Bartholomew County, and a graduate of the J. Irwin Miller Architecture program will see a significant expansion of the Community Engagement Center, providing broadened assistance for people in the community experiencing homelessness.
Centerstone’s Community Engagement Center, located at 1075 Second St., is moving to a larger suite in the same building, which also currently houses The Stride Center.
The new space, which Centerstone began moving into this week, is more than four times larger than the previous one, Brian Meyer, director of community engagement at Centerstone said, and is being retrofitted to better provide help to unhoused people in the community.
“For the last couple of years, we’ve really struggled with space,” Meyer told The Republic. “It’s kind of put us in a situation where the best we can do for guests is just help them stay in a holding pattern— give them space and meet their basic needs. But anything beyond that we just haven’t had room to do and it gets very, very crowded in there sometimes.”
“Mark Stewart (president, United Way of Bartholomew County,) he and I kind of see the Engagement Center hopefully becoming the centerpiece of the community’s plan to address homelessness,” Meyer went on. “It’ll kind of be home base for everyone to come through and take care of basic needs and hopefully address some of their more serious clinical needs to get them started on the path to housing again.”
The Community Engagement Center is designed as a safe space for individuals experiencing homelessness in the community. It’s a spot where people can come during the day to get out of bad weather and get something to eat, but while they are there, staff also work to provide resources. If someone is new to the center, staff will conduct a sit down to assess where the person is at and what their needs are. Based on that, staff helps them apply for any benefits they many be eligible for, be it Medicaid, SNAP, among others.
Thanks to a partnership with United Way of Bartholomew County, the Engagement Center was able to get the funding required for the much-needed expansion, which plays into an ongoing initiative between Mayor Mary Ferdon’s administration, the Columbus City Council and United Way to address homeless in the community.
Also of note is the project marks the first in the city in which the architect-of-record on the project — Jacquelyn Brice — is a graduate of IU’s J. Irwin Miller Architecture Program (JIMAP), located in the former Republic building in downtown Columbus.
Brice, a member of the founding graduating class of the school in May 2021, was linked to the project through a former faculty member, Britt Brewer. Brice works for an Indianapolis construction management company, but also has her own architectural firm, EcoWorks.
Brewer had been helping the project along in his own capacity, and when an architect-of-record was needed to pass design release, he brought Brice’s name up.
“I felt really strongly that was a good thing for Columbus to have, and I just wanted to help them out,” Brice said. “I just know they’re going to be able to provide a lot of value to the community. It’s going to be really helpful for people that really need and deserve it.”
Meyer said that with the new space, the Engagement Center will be able to start providing clinical services as well.
“Should somebody decide that they do want to engage in services with Centerstone to address their mental health or substance use issues, we’ll be able to do intake assessments right there on site, Meyer said. “They won’t even leave the building.”
After that, staff develop a care plan for that person to address any goals they have for themselves, connect them with the pertinent services and work to identify permanent housing situations.
“Beyond that, we’re hoping for some of those services also to be available there in the building, whether we provide them or our staff from our main clinic on Marr Road would come over there and use our offices or our group rooms to continue working with those individuals,” Meyer said.
The new space was previously a hydraulic shop, and is being built out in phases. The inside has been completely repainted and two handicap accessible bathrooms with showers were added. A laundry room will come later.
Phase two is beginning shortly and will involve a new group room, as well as private offices for intake and therapy.
Meyer said the Engagement Center sees about 35 to 40 people a day on average, but there used to be more when they operated in the old location on McKinley Avenue. That could be because of just how small the space was, and Meyer said they are hopeful the new Engagement Center location will be able to reconnect with some people that haven’t stopped by in a while.
“I’m excited about this because, what I want to see it become is a one-stop shop for individuals experiencing homelessness, to begin the journey of moving their life forward, hopefully eventually into permanent supportive housing,” Meyer said.
