Spring Valley Shelter of U.S. Hwy 30 in Valparaiso is accustomed to housing lots of children, but now has a new record.

In 2002, 51 percent of the people living in the shelter were children and more than half of those were children and more than half of those children were under 6 years old. Now 17 children fill the eight small single rooms of the former motor court hotel, outnumbering the eight adults in residence. Seven of the children are preschoolers, two will celebrate their second birthdays in August. It’s a pretty equal division between boys and girls and a pretty good mix of every other kind of diversity you can imagine said Program Director Tom Isakson.

Spring Valley Shelter offers a Child Enrichment Program to impact the lives of these children who are living in the everyday reality of homelessness. Laura Trial directs the program supplemented with volunteers of high school age through grandmothers.

The program is supported by individual giving and some small grants. Both volunteers, money donations and some items are being sought for the program. Crayons, sidewalk chalk, construction paper, Elmer’s school glue and children’s scissors are on the shopping list.

SVS is Porter County’s only homeless shelter serving residents of the entire county. A United Way member agency, Spring Valley Shelter also welcomes personal hygiene, household cleaning and paper products.

For more information, call 465-1022 between 8 a.m. - 9 p.m.

Posted 6/13/2003