
Sand Castle Shelter for Homeless Families
Who We Serve | How We Serve Them | Program News
Sand Castle offers temporary shelter to LaPorte County families: primarily single moms with children; sometimes families headed by couples or dads, too. When space is available, we accept single women. All family members must test free of drugs and alcohol.
- Single men are referred to the Faith Community Men’s Overnight Shelter.
- Domestic violence victims are referred to Stepping Stone Shelter for Women.
Those that are from other counties and those with alcohol, substance abuse or debilitating mental illness are referred to other agencies equipped to help with those issues.
- We can accommodate seven families, each in a private room
- The average stay is six weeks
- Children attend the schools they were in before housing loss
- Clients must leave the building Monday thru Friday, 9 AM to 2:30 PM to work, seek work, apply for assistance or look for an affordable apartment
- Each adult completes daily chores to keep the property neat and clean
- A case manager meets with each family daily, to set goals, measure progress, affirm efforts, provide information about other helpful programs and talk through obstacles
- Staff persons offer a listening ear and provide empathy and encouragement
- Families must observe a 9 PM curfew, unless working later
- 75% of income earned during their stay must be saved toward future housing
- Skill building classes (at Grace Learning Center) are required:
- Landlord Tenant law
- Nutrition & Cooking
- Get the Job, Keep the Job
- Health Notebook
- Green Cleaning on a Dime
- Healthy Relationships
- We respect the privacy of our residents and never reveal any information unless specifically authorized to do so by the resident.

Program - "Teach a Man to Fish"
Jobs, housing opportunities and government assistance remain the primary focus on our program goals. Designed to address each family’s specific needs, our programs also include health care needs, banking, budgeting and money management issues, day care and after school programs as well as other basic life skills challenges. Our team, along with our dedicated community and professional partners, design and implement each family’s plan with the goal of completion and graduation within a thirty day period. While aggressive, families motivated to improving and growing their future have shown these programs can be executed within the timetables developed upon enrollment.
To learn more about homelessness, please follow the links below.
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National Low-Income Housing Coalition Their "Out of Reach" Report (see Research and Publications), gives facts and figures, state by state, county by county. |
National Alliance to End Homelessness Includes a study of the cost of homelessness to all taxpayers. |
National Coalition for the Homeless |
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U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness Features a comprehensive national plan called "Opening Doors". |

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