City assisting Sunshine House create homeless shelter

Shelbyville Mayor Scott Furgeson ran on the platform of trying to better the life of every citizen. On Tuesday at the Shelbyville Board of Zoning Appeals meeting, Furgeson showed support for a proposed homeless shelter by announcing the city will purchase and donate a building to Sunshine House Inc. to operate.

”It’s important we try and help,” said Furgeson. “When I ran for mayor two years ago, I said we will only be as good as our worst citizens. This is a step forward making our citizens better.”

The city will purchase the vacant building at 21 W. Taylor St. near the Shelby County Courthouse and jail. Sunshine House will then staff and operate an overnight shelter for adults only from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. for those in need of a roof over their heads.

There will be showers and laundry on site as well as up to 26 beds. Entrance into the facility also includes agreeing to counseling to help eliminate the need to visit the shelter.

Dyan Current was a firefighter and paramedic for the Shelbyville Fire Department for two decades. She has become a strong advocate for the homeless in the city and the right person to lead this project, according to Furgeson.

”I think this is a great opportunity working with Dyan,” said Furgeson. “It’s a great opportunity for the homeless to have a place to be.”

The city will use federal government opioid settlement funds to purchase the building. Furgeson stated the city will not provide other funding for the non-profit organization to operate the shelter.

Current appeared before the Board of Zoning Appeals Tuesday to get a special exception use approved for the shelter. The petition was approved 5-0.

”I believe this is a great opportunity to provide help to those who need help in our community,” said Furgeson. “We are never going to to cure homelessness but this is a step in the right direction.”