A Voice for the Good: The Shepherd's House

^{3Rivers is proud to support so many of the non-profit organizations that are committed to making our community a better place to live, work, and play, and we want to help spread the word about the difference they're making in our region. We’ve teamed up with 97.3WMEE to bring you A Voice for the Good, a series in which we feature local organizations on our website in the form of an informative articles as well as on-air segments highlighting the non-profits’ missions.}

This article features The Shepherd’s House, a local non-profit on a mission to rebuild the lives of those who society views as hopeless, into sober and productive assets to this community.

We connected with Barb Cox, Founder & Executive Director of Shepherd’s House, to learn more about the work this organization is doing in our community.

How did Shepherd’s House come to be? What's the history/story behind how the organization initially got started?

My husband, Lonnie Cox, is a disabled Veteran who served in the Marine Corps. In 1998, he wanted to serve other Veterans who had sacrificed for our country; and opened Shepherd’s House. For 26 years, Shepherd’s House has operated a full clinical treatment program; specializing in Veterans’ needs, which includes supporting their mental health concerns like PTSD and substance abuse.

What is the official mission of Shepherd’s House, and how is it currently being put into play?

Our mission is to rebuild the lives of those who society views as hopeless into sober and productive assets to our community. 

Currently, Shepherd’s House is the only facility in our area serving homeless Veterans with a clinical treatment program. Each Veteran works alongside our case manager and addictions counselor to address their individual issues, receiving support all through the program.

Another segment of our program is that Shepherd’s House is the only facility between Fort Wayne and Battle Creek, Michigan, that offers a six-month case management program. Our case management program caters to those who graduate from our program as well as Veterans throughout the community who have independent housing but need additional support to ensure stability.

How do you see the mission and vision of Shepherd's House evolving in the future in the Northeast Indiana community? Where do you see your organization a year from now, or even five years from now?

Our Vision is to return Veterans to self-sufficient, employed, and empowered citizens with a sober vision of hope for their future.

Currently, Shepherd’s House operates in four locations, and we have a high success rate. We have an A+ rating with the BBB. If requested, we can email our Letters of Support from our community stakeholders. Mayor Tucket, Senator Banks, Congressman Stutzman, and our recently elected Governor Braun all know Shepherds House well.

Our dream is to build affordable, one-bedroom apartments for our graduate Veterans by acquiring the property across the street from our main campus on Tennessee Avenue. We want to be able to offer safe housing that is close to our main facility so our team is just steps away to assist Veterans in the program should they need it.

Originally, our dream was to open a safe, sober living environment for two or three Veterans. On opening day, we already had 21 homeless individuals living at Shepherd's House.

In 2001, we purchased the Landmark Building and were serving an additional 38 homeless individuals.

In 2012, we purchased a second home just 30 feet away, designed to serve graduates of the program.

In 2018, Senator Jim Merritt recognized the severe opiate epidemic and created a four-year pilot program, specifically serving individuals who had failed in other placements. Each participant would be connected to the Allen County Criminal Justice Program and required to connect with Park Center Behavioral Health.

The pilot program was evaluated by IU Health and showed high success. That program has since ended, but it’s the exact plan we continue to operate on today.

In 2024, we purchased a fourth facility designed to serve Veterans who desire a safe and sober environment. Our sober housing is designed for Veterans who are ready to live on their own but are struggling with depression or other mental or physical health issues, or who don't have their own transportation. In our sober living homes, Veterans assist each other—one may do most of the cooking or cleaning, one may transport others to doctor appointments, and so on.

The sober housing units also allow Veterans to invite fellow Veterans in the community to enjoy fellowship or have a BBQ. They also have the space to hold AA or NA meetings. Camaraderie with fellow Veterans is very important as they build a solid foundation of sobriety.

Could you share a standout story or two that really illustrates the impact of Shepherd's House and/or its programs has on people in our community?

There are many, but one that comes to mind is a Veteran who came into Shepherd’s House nearly five years ago. He jokes that, upon his arrival, he looked like Charlie Manson. I called my stylist who readily came to give him an “extreme makeover.” In just one hour, he looked about 20 years younger! After a year of being clean and sober, he moved into our second facility, where he lived with other graduate Veterans for about a year. Six months ago, we offered him a job as a property manager. He received the 39^th vehicle that we had been donated (to date, we have “gifted” 41 vehicles). He is very involved in the community and often sets up meetings, BBQs, time around the fire pit, or just a coming together for fellowship. Please note, “Van” has authorized us to attach his “before and after” photos!

To date, we have hired about eleven graduate Veterans for security and transportation work at Shepherd’s House.

How can those interested in your services go about getting started or getting in touch?

Ten years ago, we changed our intake procedures to purposely lower barriers to admission. Any Veteran can call our office at 260.424.2500 about possible admittance to Shepherd’s House. We have them fill out a one sheet application, without requiring a meeting face-to-face. The biggest stigma that this population battles is those who are being released from incarceration, and those with felonies on their records—we’d guess about 85% of those we serve fit that description. Our team readily approves each Veteran within 24 hours.

Are there other local non-profit organizations that Shepherd's House works/partners with to enhance their programs?

For over 20 years, we have collaborated with the area’s criminal justice providers, superior court judges, mental health facilities, and hospitals. Shepherd’s House has an excellent reputation and open communication with partners in our region. Currently, we receive Veterans from 22 surrounding Veteran Courts.

Are there opportunities for community members to volunteer at Shepherd's House -and if so, how can they go about learning more?

We absolutely need volunteers! Before COVID, we had 14 regular volunteers, but after the pandemic, only one volunteer is still with us. We have needs for people to work in our office (no manual labor, no cleaning, no filing)—our team trains volunteers to operate the office with phone calls, deliveries, donations, etc.

We always need people who can make small repairs in our facilities, like patching or replacing drywall, changing lightbulbs, and securely hanging items on walls.

We would love for anyone interested to help us with tasks like organizing our supply room and sorting canned foods, taking down Christmas decorations in January, or gardening in the summer. Anyone interested in volunteer opportunities are welcome to call me directly at 260.705.7642.

In what other ways can community members support Shepherd's House—be it through monetary donations, material donations, education, etc.?

Monetary donations are always appreciated! We don’t currently receive government funding, and since February 2023, we have been working on acquiring community support.

Aside from financial support, we very much appreciate companies who can collect items that we need, like paper goods, bottled water, large cans of fruit, vegetables, and pudding.

Any monetary funds or baked goods can be used to make a great Christmas for those we serve!