Mayor tours new Reuben Engagement Center

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – A new center for those experiencing homelessness will soon open in Indianapolis. The Reuben Engagement Center is designed for people who can’t get into a typical shelter due to mental illness or substance abuse.

The goal is to keep them out of the criminal justice system and instead provide resources for long-term rehab and support.

The center is still under construction. Mayor Joe Hogsett and other city and county leaders toured the Reuben Engagement Center on Monday.

Once open, it will be staffed with medical professionals including EMTs, CNAs and LPNs. Those employees will work with both private and non-profit agencies to get care for people who often have nowhere else to go.

Mayor Hogsett said  this model is the first of its kind in Indianapolis.

“A model that says we shouldn’t continue to ask taxpayers to pay for a seemingly endless cycle of punishment aimed at those suffering from mental illness and addiction,” said Mayor Hogsett.

The facility is scheduled to open sometime over the next few months.