Overcrowding has 70+ women, children sleeping on shelter floor
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — More than 75 women and children slept on the floor at Wheeler Mission Center for Women and Children Wednesday night.
The shelter is at capacity and is experiencing a 100 percent increase from this time in 2018, according to the shelter’s chief development officer, Steve Kerr.
The shelter is expecting issues with capacity to continue this weekend.
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“We’ve been putting them in the basement with their kids because we have such high numbers of families. We have been putting them in the hallways, doing whatever works,” said Colleen Gore, the chief program officer for women at the shelter.
Gore said the center opens up its gym every winter (November-March) as part of the city’s winter contingency plan to keep people safe from the cold.
The gym was packed to capacity Wednesday, and more are expected this weekend as temperatures will likely dip below zero. on top of the 100 people sleeping in regular beds.
For women like Sheila Mabie, who struggle with homelessness and rely on the services Wheeler Mission provides, the thought of other women and children being turned away is heartbreaking.
“There’s not very many places for women to go,” said Mabie. “When I was here before, and I was in winter contingency, we didn’t have this many women. But now we have an overabundance of women that just don’t have anywhere to go. They wouldn’t be able to survive out there in that cold. There’s no way.”
Officials said they don’t know why it has been so packed because this winter has been relatively mild.
Gore said the center is stocking up on supplies and holding out hope that Mother Nature will go easy as the shelter scrambles to find other ways to help meet the needs of people like Mabie.
“We have had some calls out to a few local churches trying to come up with a backup plan. But it is the first time that we’ve been in that position where we’re looking to turn people away from the gym floor,” said Gore.
The overcrowding comes as the shelter works to build a $12 million, four-story building.
If you’d like to help, the shelter is taking donations ahead of the storm.