MISHAWAKA, Ind. — REAL News Michiana has learned the failed Motels4Now homeless initiative attempted to expand into the City of Mishawaka. However, the non-profit’s attempt at securing nearly a million dollars in taxpayer money from the city was shot down by Democrat members of the City Council.
Motels4Now requested $825,000 in American Rescue Plan money from the City of Mishawaka in April of last year. While the city did give hundreds of thousands of dollars to effective charities and non-profit organizations, city officials declined to give the Motels4Now program a dime. The request went to a committee on the council that was made up of one Republican and two Democrats. That committee was responsible for the denial.
CRIME RIDDEN PROGRAM
The Motels4Now program currently operates in South Bend and has been a massive strain on first responders in the city. Since opening in 2020, police have been called to the Motels4Now location at the old Knights Inn on Lincolnway West more than 1,000 times. The "low barrier" facility has been the scene of countless drug overdoses, thefts and batteries, while purporting to be helping those most in need in our community. "Low barrier" means there are essentially no rules for being admitted and housed, allowing drugs and crime to run rampant. The program is also asking for $1.65 million in additional funding from St. Joseph County in order to keep its doors open while Democrats have been soliciting activists to intimidate elected officials into funding the failed program.
Police responded 250 times from December of 2021 through December of 2022. The calls include everything from stabbings to overdoses, sexual assaults and thefts.
While a large number of the calls (42) from the past year were for reporting “Unwanted Persons,” it is apparent crime is a major problem with the program located at the old Knights Inn on Lincolnway West in South Bend. Below is a breakdown of some of the highlights.
Assault: 17 Calls
Theft: 15 Calls
Disturbance: 15 Calls
Overdose: 14 Calls
Threat: 10 Calls
Suspicious Activity: 8 Calls
Fighting: 4 Calls
Burglary: 3 Calls
Weapons: 3 Calls
Shots Fired: 3 Calls
Harassment: 3 Calls
Vandalism: 2 Calls
Stabbing: 1 Call
Sex Assault: 1 Call
Drugs: 1 Call
It also turns out, the taxpayer has already footed the bill for this nuisance property at the tune of millions of dollars. Through the end of 2021, the program received $2,076,514 from St. Joseph County. In 2022, the property owner received $268,975 in taxpayer dollars from the county himself. And, that’s not including emergency rental assistance that has been paid out at taxpayer expense.
In a typical circumstance, a property like this would be considered a “nuisance property” facing several costly fines with the potential of being shut down. It’s unclear if any fines have been levied against the Motels 4 Now program or the property owner. RNM has requested that information and is waiting for it to be provided.
There are also major problems with other homeless shelters in the community that are being funded by the taxpayer. RNM plans to run seperate stories on those operations.
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