United Caring Shelters Meets Local Need With Women's Shelter

United Caring Shelters in Evansville, Ind., is meeting the needs of women facing homelessness with its brand-new 16-bed emergency night shelter.

It all started last winter when United Caring Shelters launched its White Flag Program, which allows any man, woman or child to come inside the organization’s emergency overnight shelter if the temperature is predicted to drop below freezing for more than three hours. Staff rolled out mattresses for anyone who needed to escape the bitter cold.

The Rev. Kimron Reising, executive director, noticed a large number of single women coming into the shelter. Up to this point, the organization had operated a day shelter for both men and women, but its 62-bed emergency overnight shelter accepted only men.

“We asked the women where they were staying, and they said in cars and tents,” Reising says. “I asked them why they hadn’t gone to a shelter, and they said it was because they couldn’t get in. So I immediately started making calls to all the women’s shelters in the area.”

He found out that in Evansville, a city with more than 121,000 residents, there were only 26 beds available for homeless women with no children and no history of domestic abuse. Countless women were being turned away every week.

“In a depressed economy, we are sometimes barely able to keep up with demand,” Reising says. “In the last couple of years, we have seen a dramatic increase in people coming in to use our services."

Divorce, mental illness, substance abuse and job loss are most likely contributing to the rise in homelessness for single women, Reising says.

Reising took the issue to his board and immediately began searching for ways to address the need. He applied for and received two grants to kick off the fundraising process and found a nearby Roman Catholic church which was willing to offer shelter space on the top floor of an empty convent.

United Caring Shelters quickly turned the vacant space into the much-needed women’s shelter and opened its doors to the public on Nov. 14, 2011. Open from 7 p.m. to 8 a.m., the night shelter can accommodate up to 10 bunk beds, but still has some room to grow. During the day, homeless women can visit the organization’s nearby day shelter to receive meals, do laundry and connect with outreach workers.

“We make an assessment of where they are and what they need, and help them put together goals and an action plan to meet those goals,” Reising says. “Then we provide the encouragement, support and accountability they need, and get them help with things like job training, resume writing, health issues, literacy issues and the GED.”

Donna, who arrived at the women’s shelter a few days after its opening, agrees that it is helping her get on the right track. After losing her job and separating from her husband, she found herself homeless until her pastor recommended she visit United Caring Shelters.

“The great thing about the shelter is that it offers resources and lots of help for women to begin rebuilding their lives,” she says.

Despite having several medical problems, Donna has become known as a “house mother” at the shelter and enjoys helping many of the younger women. She hopes to eventually volunteer or work in human services to assist other young women facing poverty or homelessness.

Reising is seeking grant funds and donations to keep the project going. He has  secured a $25,000 matching grant from the Welborn Baptist Foundation.

“This is a God thing,” Reising says. “It’s going to happen, and as we continue to tell the story of these women we hope it will touch people’s hearts and the support will follow.”

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