Beaman Home celebrated the completion of their parking lot on Friday with a Kosciusko Chamber of Commerce Ribbon-Cutting. Many Chamber Ambassadors, Beaman Home Board Members, and Employees were in attendance just as the weather cleared. It was as if the rain clouds parted just in time for the photo and outdoor reception of cookies and punch under the porch.
The new Beaman Home shelter provides 36 emergency shelter beds in 11 resident rooms – 3 rooms with 5 beds are designated for male victims and their children. Those rooms are located in a separate wing than the female victims and their children. In addition to the resident rooms, the shelter includes 3 living rooms, a lending library, a computer lab, and laundry facility.
The adjacent Outreach Center provides space for a commercial grade kitchen, dining/great room, children’s activity room, conference room, counseling room, and staff space. The Outreach Center allows Beaman Home staff and volunteers to provide support groups, life skills workshops, counseling, children services, and more to both residential and non-residential program participants. In total there is approximately 11,000 square feet of programming square.
In comparison, the old facility had 3 bedrooms with 13 beds and has located in a 100-year old single-family home on Warsaw’s southside. The house had just under 2,000 square feet of living space. The old facility limited us to provide primarily shelter only due to having no space to expand services.
“While the building is beautiful, and we are proud of it, what’s most important is our ability to better meet the needs of our community’s survivors of domestic violence and/or sexual assault,” says Tracie Hodson, Executive Director. “The journey from victim to survivor is a long and challenging one which is different for every person who has experienced interpersonal violence. The new Beaman Home, along with our expanded services, allows our trained staff and volunteers to provide a continuum of care which meets victims where they are no matter what leg of the journey they may be on.”
The new facility on Parker Street was a $2 million project, which was funded completely by local donors.
The ribbon-cutting celebrates the final step in Beaman Home’s construction journey – the completion of the new Beaman Home parking lot.
