HELP SUPPORT INDEPENDENT JOURNALISM BY BECOMING A SUBSCRIBING MEMBER. YOU CAN ALSO MAKE A ONE TIME DONATION HERE.
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — REAL News Michiana is profiling several of the people who voted in favor of expanding a homeless shelter initiative that has been illegally housing multiple sex offenders only 500 feet away from a daycare and less than 650 feet away from a Catholic school. In a 4-1 vote on Thursday, the South Bend Redevelopment Commission voted to purchase a plot of land as the first step in the expansion. One of those who voted in favor is Vivian Sallie. Sallie is currently the President of Sallie and Associates Communications in Granger. She is also the former Vice President and Director of Development at PBS Michiana (WNIT), the former Executive Director of the St. Joseph County Chamber of Commerce and the former Executive Director of Hospital Marketing at Humana Inc. Sallie also serves on various volunteer boards across the community, including the South Bend Heritage Foundation.
A major initiative of PBS Michiana is to provide content for children on their PBS Kids channel, as well as providing free educational content for use in classrooms.
TROY WARNER
On Thursday, RNM profiled another member of the Redevelopment Commission who voted in favor of expanding the shelter, Troy Warner (D). Warner also serves as the attorney for the St. Joseph County Police Department under Sheriff Bill Redman (D). He is also South Bend’s 4th District Common Council Member.
Warner and Sheriff Redman have been criticized in the past for their department’s lenient treatment of child predators. In December of 2022, a REAL News Michiana investigation uncovered the St. Joseph County Police Department ignored information about a man who was in possession of child pornography for five years. Neither Redman or Warner responded to requests for comment. Redman has also voiced his support for the shelter that is housing child rapists next to children.
BACKGROUND
The plan to expand the homeless initiative known as Motels4Now was done mostly in secret by City of South Bend leaders with no input initially from residents or business owners. Motels4Now currently houses five sex offenders and employs another. Police and emergency personnel have been called to the property more than 1,300 times since it opened in mid-2020.
The new 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 being purchased from the South Bend Community School Corporation for approximately $277,000
DESTINATION FOR OUT OF TOWN CHILD MOLESTERS
An investigative report earlier this month by RNM found a total of six registered sex offenders associated with Motels4Now. Five of the sex offenders currently live there. One sex offender lists the address as his employer.
It also appears the “low-barrier” program is attracting out-of-town rapists interested in receiving services. According to the Indiana Sex Offender Registry, one sex offender is from Allen County, one is from Michigan and two are from Elkhart County. Only two of the sex offender residents at Motels4Now 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.
HOTBED FOR CRIME
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.
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. Motels4Now has received no such citations.
Want to keep seeing the news the legacy media just won’t report? REAL News Michiana relies on member subscribers to keep going. As a subscriber, you’ll get an RNM mug and invites to special events. Help us continue to expose corruption and report on the news conservatives care about by subscribing here.
$277,750 was spent for 5 acres, the going rate for an acre of quality farmland in the county is between $10,000 and $15,000 or so. What is so special about these 5 acres of dirt that make them worth $55,550 an acre. Follow the money Clifton and it will lead to the Truth. Someone is making a lot of money on this transaction. The City plans to sell the site to leaders of the New Day Intake Center. Why not have them purchase the land directly? Both New Day and Motels4Now operate under the Catholic homeless services provider Our Lady of the Road. Let them pay for the land, this doesn’t pass the smell test. The New Day center is going to need an additional $12 to $14 million dollars of which they have a grant for $5 million and $1.5 million from the city in American Rescue Plan money. This still leaves them $6 million short of what they need, the rest the taxpayers of the city will be on the hook for this money. What about the long term costs, utilities, maintenance, meals, health care and liability insurance. We mustn’t allow Derek Dieter and the St. Joe County Council to involve County taxpayers in this never ending boondoggle, which is what it will become once started. Thank you to Eli Wax for being the only person to vote against this ill advised expenditure. Like the Field of Dreams, if you build it, the will come. We will have every homeless pedophile in the country living in South Bend.