LUM’s Shelter for the Homeless
LUM’s Shelter for the Homeless
The Lafayette Urban Ministry’s Shelter for the Homeless and accompanying Case Management Services help chronically homeless men and women move off the streets, into shelter, then on to a more permanent and stable residence.
LUM’s Homeless Services — Did You Know…
- Last year 474 individuals stayed at the LUM shelter.
- The average homeless guest spent 20 nights at our shelter during the year.
- Two-hundred and three homeless individuals worked one-on-one with LUM case managers to leave our shelter for a home of their own.
- It cost $86,874 to operate the LUM Shelter in 2011 (which averaged out to $9.16 per guest, per night.) Included in this total are case management services, food, staffing, utilities, fire protection and shelter maintenance.
- The Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority (IHCDA) has just awarded LUM an Emergency Shelter Grant in the amount of $50,000. The funds are earmarked for shelter operations and salary for our Case Manager Cecelia Neihouser.
- The City of Lafayette and the City of West Lafayette Community Development Block Grant Programs also help fund the LUM shelter, $14,507 and $5,560 respectively.
- LUM’s donors are an important part of the shelter funding pie, too; contributing $16,807 in 2011.
- Nightly operations at the shelter are run by volunteers. It takes four trained volunteers to run the shelter – a total of 1,460 volunteers each year.
- A simple meal of soup, stew or chili is provided to the homeless at our shelter each night, donated by various churches, organizations and clubs in our community.
- St. Elizabeth Health Care provides LUM with clean sheets and blankets for our guests each night—for free!
- Guests of LUM’s shelter who have just started a job or who are receiving disability assistance are required to pay LUM $3 cash each night they stay at our shelter. The money is matched by LUM then held in escrow to help pay the guest’s damage deposit and first month’s rent for a new apartment.
- Guests at the LUM shelter are required to do simple chores like washing dishes and sweeping floors to help keep the facility clean.
- LUM’s New Opportunity Fund is a $50,000 merit-based fund raised through LUM’s Campaign for the Future that helps LUM shelter guests leave our facility for a home of their own.
LUM Shelter Volunteer Opportunities
Might you or your group be interested in volunteering at the LUM shelter? Training dates are set for twice a month at 6:30 p.m. at the LUM Shelter (525 N. 4th Street, Lafayette).
If you’d like to provide a meal for the homeless, call or email LUM Shelter Director Joyce Fasani at (765) 423-2691 or jfasani@lafayetteurbanministry.org
Thanks to LUM’s Community Partners:
City of West Lafayette, Indiana
City of Lafayette, Indiana
