City taking over development of planned homeless shelter

The city of Indianapolis is taking over development of the long-planned 24/7 homeless shelter on the east side of downtown.

Previously, the city had been working with nonprofit developer RDOOR Housing Corp.

Aryn Schounce, senior policy advisor to Mayor Joe Hogsett, told members of the Metropolitan Development Commission on Feb. 5 that the city determined it was best to be the developer for the project.

Schounce called RDOOR a “trusted partner,” and the Indianapolis-based developer’s CEO, Lauren Rodriguez, told Mirror Indy the group still supports the project.

“It wasn’t anything negative,” said Rodriguez, who previously served as a deputy mayor in the Hogsett administration.

Schounce said the city will reimburse RDOOR for the land — which consists of 14 parcels at the corner of Georgia and Shelby streets — as well as other expenses, such as time spent on the project.

The total reimbursement amount is about $2.8 million, Schounce said.

The original agreement between the city and RDOOR was $2.5 million. The Metropolitan Development Commission approved the additional amount Feb. 5.

Construction pushed back

Andrew Merkley, the city’s director of homelessness policy and eviction prevention, told commissioners that construction on the shelter won’t begin until at least this summer.

Previously, the goal was to break ground in late 2024.

Once construction begins, Merkley said the project would take about 18 months to complete, meaning the shelter won’t open until late 2026 at the earliest.

Along with the 24/7 shelter — which would have room for 50 individuals, 10 couples and 20 families of four — plans call for a day center and housing navigation center.

Taken together, the city has been referring to the project as a housing hub: a one-stop shop where people can get immediate shelter and long-term assistance with housing, employment and other needs.

And as a low-barrier shelter, it won’t have the same restrictions that are common at other shelters, such as substance use and gender identity.

“So this facility will be fundamentally different than other shelters that exist in our city,” Merkley said.

The city is contracting with Indianapolis-based architecture firm Woolpert, which also designed a similar building for the city of Virginia Beach in Virginia.

The city is still negotiating with a builder, as well as operators to run the emergency shelter and a day center.

Mirror Indy reporter Tyler Fenwick covers housing and labor. Contact him at tyler.fenwick@mirrorindy.org.