FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO) — Fort Wayne Mayor Sharon Tucker joined leaders from St. Joseph Missions today to celebrate the opening of a new home, which will accommodate four women who have successfully completed their stay at the nonprofit agency’s emergency shelter.

The home, in northeast Fort Wayne, is transitional housing for women working toward independent living. Each woman will have their own room and will share common spaces, such as the kitchen, laundry and living room. They will pay rent based on their income and work with a life skills coach to continue their journey from homelessness to independence. The City of Fort Wayne’s Office of Housing and Neighborhood Services provided federal Community Development Block Grant dollars to purchase and renovate the home.

“I’m thrilled to see this new home open its doors to women who were previously homeless,” said Mayor Tucker. “Addressing homelessness and increasing access to affordable housing are priorities for my administration, and this home is another step forward to ensuring all of our residents have a safe place to sleep at night.”

“Ever since we opened the doors of our emergency shelter, we dreamed about this next step,” said Erin Ness, executive director of St. Joseph Missions. “Many of the women ready to leave our shelter don’t have friends and family to rely on for help, so providing them this option gives them the support they need to take the next step toward independence.”

Women will live in the new shared housing for up to a year and then move to independent living so women exiting the emergency shelter can then move in. Currently, St. Joseph Missions averages 172 calls each month from single women seeking shelter but the emergency shelter can only accommodate 19 women each evening.