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New Carlisle seeks residents for social‑services commission to coordinate homelessness and local aid
Summary
City staff, faith leaders and nonprofits discussed creating a resident social‑services commission to coordinate food, housing and volunteer resources; the council asked for applications with a July 1 deadline and staff said the commission would be organized publicly and could apply for grants.
City of New Carlisle officials, local clergy and social‑service providers met with council to discuss forming a volunteer social‑services commission that would identify residents in need, coordinate local charities and churches, and recommend actions or resource requests to council.
City Manager (staff member) described a proposal to form a commission of three to five New Carlisle residents to be sworn in as a city board, pick a president and vice president, and name coordinators who would field referrals from city staff, code enforcement, police and residents. Planning Director Brian Ward told the group he would "be facilitating those meetings the same as I facilitate planning board meetings and board of zoning appeal meetings." The commission would operate under the City’s boards and commissions handbook and bring recommendations to council.
Speakers from local churches and nonprofits described existing efforts and resources: Michael Barclay and Bethany Hall from Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Eric Schmidt from Church of the Brethren, Pastor Bob Livearter of the downtown Methodist Church, Julie Driscoll of Quest Youth Development, Nikki Stefano of Family and Youth Initiatives, and others described volunteer programs, food distribution and a tool‑lending center. Resident Kelly Dupuis, who described having experienced homelessness, urged a services hub and said, "I lived in a tent for 6 months..." (summary quote). Several speakers suggested subteams to handle specific tasks such as lawn care, transportation help, emergency meals and an outdoor or commercial kitchen for processing donated produce.
City staff outlined the process: advertise openings, accept applications, swear in members, hold an organizational meeting (advertised and open to the public), draft bylaws and return the commission’s bylaws and operating plan to council for approval. Staff proposed the commission meet monthly, though that frequency could change by agreement of commissioners. The manager said the city does not plan to create a new social‑services department but expects the commission to coordinate existing local nonprofits, faith groups and volunteers and to triage needs that otherwise consume deputy and code enforcement time.
Council took no formal policy vote beyond a scheduling direction: staff requested completed applications by July 1 so prospective commissioners could be included in the next council packet and sworn in, and the council encouraged churches and organizations to identify residents willing to serve as commission members. The manager and planning director said the commission could apply for grants and coordinate shared resources such as commercial kitchen use, blessing boxes, a tool lending center and volunteer teams. Several attendees volunteered to bring flyers and to recruit candidate residents.
The city emphasized that commission members must be residents of New Carlisle and that, once formed, the commission would be subject to the boards and commissions handbook and open‑meeting rules. Staff said the commission would track referrals and return recommendations to council for actions requiring city resources or policy changes.
