Shooting of resident at Gary home just before Portage Manor folks move in

SOUTH BEND — St. Joseph County officials are responding to what they call a “disturbing” incident, an alleged shooting, inside of a residential facility in Gary that they’d offered as an alternative for residents of the county home Portage Manor.

Three Portage Manor residents were loading into a vehicle Thursday, headed for what would become their new home, a facility called Miller Beach Terrace in Gary. A Miller Beach staff member, who picked them up in vehicles their staff had brought, mentioned the shooting to Portage Manor staff.

Inside of Miller Beach Terrace, one resident had allegedly shot another resident in the arm, according to Portage Manor staff. On Friday, a Gary Police Department lieutenant confirmed there was a shooting in the facility on June 25 but refused to give The Tribune more information because it was still being investigated.

Portage Manor staff, distraught over the thought of sending residents to a potentially unsafe home, tried to stop the vehicles that had come for the move Thursday. But it was too late. The residents were officially discharged and on the road, staff told The Tribune.

June 26, 2023: More than half of Portage Manor residents find homes. Many will go out of St. Joe County.

Late on Thursday, St. Joseph County commissioners issued a press release confirming that there was an “incident” that was “disturbing” at Miller Beach Terrace. It is one of three such facilities that county officials have recently offered to Portage Manor residents as alternatives since they are licensed to receive funding from the state’s Residential Care Assistance Program, for which about 40 Portage Manor qualified.

County commissioners have set a July 31 deadline to close Portage Manor, saying that, apart from deficit spending, the home’s century-old structure needs repairs and isn’t safe and suitable enough for the residents.

But residents, families and advocates have argued that Portage Manor has provided a quiet, stable and friendly environment for residents, who either have a disability or mental illness.

June 26, 2023: Individual and class action lawsuit filed to prevent the closing of Portage Manor

In fact, the families of four residents sought a lawsuit, filed Monday in federal court, that seeks to halt the closing of Portage Manor, alleging that it could threaten the residents’ health and well-being. Their attorney, Kent Hull, said Friday he would alert the federal court of the recent incident and ask the county prosecutor to investigate.

Portage Manor staff said the family members of the three residents who’d just moved Thursday to Miller Beach, who have power of attorney, were immediately notified Thursday. As well, county staff at Portage Manor asked the state for permission to accept the three residents back to Portage Manor, if they are willing, and were waiting for a reply as of Friday morning. Staff and the county’s hired consultants were also available to help the residents seek another place to live.

County officials are now discouraging Portage Manor residents from moving to Miller Beach, though residents and their families still have the right to choose where they want to live.

Portage Manor has alerted both the Indiana Department of Health and Adult Protective Services of the incident.

County officials are looking into the incident, which “may not have been promptly reported to the relevant authorities," the county’s press release stated. “This alleged incident was not disclosed to staff prior to our residents leaving Portage Manor, which could pose a significant concern for the safety and wellbeing of our residents.”

“The three residents would not have been discharged to Millers Beach Terrace had the Portage Manor staff been informed of the alleged incident,” the release stated.

In 2021, the state cited Miller Beach for failing to report another incident after a resident was shot. In that case, a resident had walked to a gas station next door and was shot in the stomach, having caught gunfire between people in two vehicles there, according to a state inspection report. The resident went straight to the hospital while other residents went back to Miller Beach and told staff there what had happened.

The three who moved to Miller Beach on Thursday were the only residents to have moved to Miller Beach Terrace, which county officials had said had about 20 beds available. Separately, on Monday, Miller Beach staff came and immediately picked up and accepted a homeless couple that Portage Manor volunteers had found in a nearby woods, according to the administrator.

A few Portage Manor residents have moved to a similar facility that also accepts RCAP, Lake Park Residential Care, which is a short drive from Miller Beach in Lake Station, Ind., with 30 to 50 beds available. And multiple residents have signed leases and are waiting to move out to Noble Senior Living in Fort Wayne with 40 beds for RCAP. 

Jen Anderson of South Bend and her sister, whose brother has lived at Portage Manor for about 30 years, visited both of the homes in Lake County, Miller Beach Terrace and Lake Park, a week ago. Anderson refuses to send him to either one. While the staff that they’d met were kind, she described the facilities physically as “nasty and horrible.”

Miller Beach Terrace itself appears to be an aged, former motel with a glassy, open gathering area but with typical motel rooms with smaller windows. Anderson said she saw soiled carpeting inside where cigarette butts had been ground in. Outside, she saw cigarette butts littered where residents smoke.

Jenny Piontek, a South Bend advocate for saving Portage Manor, went on the trip and likewise said that the building needed new paint and that the windows were covered with a chalky film. She heard from staff that the owners hoped to do some upgrades soon, though they also needed more residents to boost its income.

With 68 residents left on Friday, Portage Manor reported more than half have accepted or had plans to move elsewhere. More than 30 would remain in St. Joseph or Elkhart counties in an array of settings, from group homes to nursing homes to family members’ houses.

Although July 31 is the target for closure, county officials have said the doors won't be locked until each resident has moved to suitable other housing.

The county’s press release stated: “We will work with the Indiana State Department of Health to ensure that all facilities that are being considered are safe and operating within the legal requirements set forth by the State of Indiana.”

South Bend Tribune reporter Joseph Dits can be reached at 574-235-6158 or jdits@sbtinfo.com.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Portage Manor residents move to Miller Beach Terrace, shooting site