Back in business

The Wayside Inn Homeless Shelter reopened April 15 after being closed since early February due to mold in the building.

A grand re-opening was held Friday, April 19, to honor all the volunteers who made the re-opening possible.

In January 2024, the state-of-the-art fire suppression system at the Wayside Inn Homeless Shelter went off with no warning, leaving thousands of gallons of water throughout most of the building. This forced the board to close the shelter and find housing for the residents who were staying there at the time. No new clients had been taken in since that time, causing an influx of people seeking shelter through other agencies.

According to board President Steve Graham, “The flood was a blessing in disguise. In starting to remove flooring, we found that the joists that supported the flooring were broken and would have broken eventually on their own. We were able to repair them and get them level, probably for the first time since 1900.”

The real miracle though, according to Graham and board member Beth Burnett, was in the number of people and organizations that donated their elbow grease, unused items, and money to get the homeless shelter back up and running. Some of the construction work was done by a team led by a former resident who had started a construction business of his own.

Other people donated items such as bedding, cabinets, countertops, appliances, etc. And last, but certainly not least, volunteers were also found who are willing to volunteer in the shelter so that it can continue to run.

The Wayside Inn is not a forever home or a low-barrier shelter with no rules or restrictions. It is a faith-based shelter that provides the temporarily homeless of Jennings County with a safe, secure, warm, drug and alcohol-free environment in which to sleep, take a shower, eat a good meal, and do their laundry. Priscilla McIntire leads the shelter’s church services on Sundays at noon accompanied by meals and then Bible study on Wednesday evenings at 6.

The shelter works closely with other organizations in the community to help those in need find employment and appropriate counseling.

Current board members are President Steve Graham, vice-president Jon Merrifield, secretary/treasurer Beth Burnett, Cheri Massey, Priscilla McIntire, Zac Jines, Chuck Carson, Jennifer Mohr, Trish Park, Stephanie Sentz, and Tara Thormin.

The shelter is continually seeking donations of either food or money. Its mailing address is 304 Hoosier St., North Vernon, IN 47265.