Homeless shelter magnet for out-of-town sex offenders

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SOUTH BEND, Ind. — REAL News Michiana has learned the embattled homeless initiative known as Motels4Now is housing multiple sex offenders. It turns out, almost all of the convicted rapists and child molesters living at the South Bend facility are not from St. Joseph County.

According to the Indiana Sex Offender registry, there are currently six sex offenders associated with the Motels4Now address located at the old Knights Inn at 3233 Lincoln Way West in South Bend. Five of the sex offenders currently live there. One sex offender lists the address as his employer.

One sex offender is from Allen County, one is from Michigan and two are from Elkhart County. Only two of the sex offender residents are from St. Joseph County. REAL News Michiana has put together a photo gallery of all of the sex offenders, the sex crimes they were convicted of and where their conviction occurred.

One of the latest sex offender residents of Motels4Now is 41-year-old Rusty Joe Sakshaug. Sakshaug has done two stints in prison for sex crimes. He was released from prison for Criminal Sexual Conduct in 2022 and was most recently living in Mount Pleasant, Michigan — more than a three hour drive from South Bend. It’s unclear why he moved to South Bend, however, many critics believe the Motels4Now facility is attracting out-of-town homeless criminals seeking services and shelter.

SOUTH BEND CITY OFFICIALS LOOK TO EXPAND

Motels4Now is what is called a “low-barrier” homeless shelter, meaning there are very few limits on who is allowed into the program. It also has no restrictions on drug or alcohol use attached to services.

Despite major documented problems with crime associated with Motels4Now, city leaders are looking to expand the failed homeless initiative by building a new multi-million dollar facility on the northwest part of town and rename it the New Day Intake Center. The proposed location of the new facility is near Corpus Christi Catholic School and Growing Kids Learning Center daycare.

The plan to expand the homeless initiative was done mostly in secret by City of South Bend leaders with no input from residents or business owners. The facility would be located on a piece of property off of Bendix Drive just north of the South Bend Community School Corporation’s school bus garage. The parcel is currently owned by the South Bend Community School Corporation.

Plans for the new facility started to come to light during a South Bend Community School Corporation Board meeting last Monday where the board voted to approve the sale of the plot to the City. The next step was to have the South Bend Redevelopment Commission approve the purchase at a meeting just two days later.

While city officials did not notify any of the stakeholders of the plan or meeting, Republican County Council Members and County Commissioners caught wind and made notifications to as many business owners as they could — mounting an overwhelming opposing presence at Wednesday’s Redevelopment Commission meeting. Members of the commission then voted unanimously to table the issue to a later date.

HOTBED FOR CRIME

In January of last year, an RNM investigation uncovered major crime and drug problems with the Motels4Now program. A public records request by REAL News Michiana discovered 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. Records show more than 1,000 calls for service to the location in just a couple of years. Several businesses have also closed down or moved because of the issues brought by the program — including a McDonalds.

In 2022 alone, police were called to the Motels4Now property for the following crimes:

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

RNM discovered two overdose deaths related to the property in early 2023. According to publicly available records, 58-year-old Kevin Taylor died from a cocaine overdose at Motels4Now on January 29th. Weeks later, another man who “graduated” from the Motels4Now program died from a suspected overdose while living in another transitional home owned by Our Lady of the Road, the non-profit organization that runs the Motel4Now Program.

The criminal impact just off the property has also been of major concern. Earlier this year, RNM published a story about a single mother having to hold one man from the facility at gunpoint when he attempted to break into her home.

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. Motels 4 Now has received no such citations.

City officials are planning a community meeting regarding the proposal for the new facility at 6:00pm on Friday, February 1st, at the Beacon Resource Center located at 4210 Lincoln Way West, South Bend.

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