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LETTER: Beyond Homeless thankful for first responders, community support
To the Editor:
Words cannot fully express the gratitude in our hearts for the fire, police and EMS personnel who arrived at Beyond Homeless on Tuesday, March 28 to extinguish an electrical fire that resulted in the loss of one of the sleeping rooms. Our first responders are invaluable and represent the caring spirit of this community.
Sixteen shelter residents were displaced, and The Inn at DePauw and Super 8 in Cloverdale quickly provided rooms for the night. We are forever thankful for the community partners who wrapped their arms around us as we began the recovery process. The Inn at DePauw generously provided rooms and the use of 2 West Bistro as a temporary shelter office for the 10 days residents and staff were displaced. Greencastle Christian Church then stepped in and offered the use of their gym, so the children had space to run and play throughout the day.
It truly takes a village to continue to provide services with minimal disruption in times of crisis, and we are grateful for our neighbors, including Russell Harvey, Karen Nelson Heavin, Joel and Tosh Everson, Lynne Tweedie, Valerie Rudolph, the Putnam County Leadership Academy, McDonald’s, Myers’ Market and many others, for providing meals, and to our partners Firefly Children & Family Alliance, Family Promise of Hendricks County and Hamilton Center for the essential items and services provided throughout the displacement and preparation for return to the shelter.
These aren’t community partners and members. They’re our family, our friends, our neighbors, our co-workers — the heart of the community.
Thank you for your efforts that first night and the prayers, good thoughts, assistance, support and encouragement throughout the following 10 days. We are sincerely thankful for all of you.
Lea Durbin, Executive Director
Beyond Homeless Board of Directors