Jeffersonville homeless ministry preparing for life without a home of its own
JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind. (WDRB) –
A garage in downtown Jeffersonville was donated to Exit 0, but the building is expected to be sold, and forces the ministry to move out.
“Where do we do the casework now?” asked Paul Stensrud, Director of Jesus Cares at Exit 0. “How do we connect when they know where the general location is in order to get help?”
The garage at the corner of Federal Avenue and Spring Street was donated several years ago, but Stensrud said the Bales Auto Mall property will be sold, which means Exit 0 will phase out by the end of the month.
“We’re just losing the building, and I think I’m gonna be gaining more faith,” Stensrud said. “But what the community is losing is a different story.”
The garage serves as the ministry’s storage unit and home base. It offers meals, showers, clothes, a place for pets and a way for the homeless to connect to social services.
Stensrud now plans to move to a fully-mobile ministry.
“Just because the building is closing doesn’t mean we’re not still present,” he said. “It’s just gonna make it a little harder, but that’s OK.”
All volunteers will now return to the streets, homeless camps and under bridges. But that’s how Exit 0 started nine years ago, and there’s plenty of hope to weather the elements.
“Is it scary? Yes. It is,” Stensrud said. “But in a nutshell, with our faith, we’re gonna get through this.”
Exit 0 hopes the city, or someone local, might donate extra space so they can continue to operate as normal.
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Posted: Nov 15, 2017 10:29 PM EST
Updated: Nov 16, 2017 4:02 PM EST