The A-Way Home Shelter has been providing housing and food for people in need for the last 15 years. But, more than that, it has been a place of comfort and support to those lacking stability.
According to A-Way Home shelter Executive Director Debbie Zigler, the shelter does more than just provide housing. They work to help people get back on their feet.
"We provide information [to people living at the shelter] on community resources to help them find housing and jobs and eventually to be self-sufficient again," Zigler said.
Several organizations on DePauw's campus send volunteers to help the people of the A-Way Home shelter. The Circle K club and the Bonner Scholar program both have students who spend several hours at the A-Way Home shelter during the semester.
"The Circle K club goes about twice or three times a semester to make dinner for the residents," said Circle K vice president Emily Eckert, a junior. "We try to spread our service work around the Greencastle community so we don't get to spend enough time at A-Way Home."
Circle K is an international volunteer organization with a chapter on DePauw's campus that goes into the community once a week in order to help those in need.
Similarly, Alpha Phi sorority and Sigma Chi fraternity teamed up for their annual Tigerstock event and decided all proceeds from the event would benefit the A-Way Home shelter.
"We really wanted the event to benefit a local Greencastle non-profit, and when I called the A-Way Home shelter they said they were hurting for money so we thought that would be the perfect place to send out proceeds," said Alpha Phi philanthropy chairwoman Elizabeth Young.
Despite the efforts of the DePauw and Greencastle communities, the A-Way Home shelter will be forced to close on Sept. 9 due to inadequate funding.
"We are the only city agency that does directly fund the shelter," said Adam Cohen, president of the Greencastle City Council. "Unfortunately, the property tax caps have made it very hard for us to provide services. It's going to be a real loss for our community."
Cohen continued to explain that the Greencastle community is working on ways to get the shelter back on its feet.
Zigler expanded on this topic explaining the avenues the shelter is exploring in order to come back in 2012.
"At the present, we put an appeal out in the paper," Zigler said. "We are going to develop fundraising goals. We have a grant application in. The next few months will be spent regrouping and raising funds."
The community realizes there will be people without a place to go while the shelter is trying to reopen.
"There's going to be people who have no place to go," Zigler said. "It will fall back on trustees to provide [temporary] places. I'm assuming churches will be asked to help."
To Zigler, at least for the time being, the homeless of Greencastle have lost more than a safe shelter. They have lost valuable resources to help put their lives back together.