In St. Joseph County's Portage Manor closure, sister and brother find a reason to reunite

SOUTH BEND — Craig Coburn-McDonald and his wife just became empty-nesters, sending their daughter off to college and helping their son move in with his spouse.

But as of Tuesday, Craig’s younger sister, Melissa McDonald, lost the place she’d been living for eight years when Portage Manor officially closed.

He now faced a choice: Send his sister two hours away, to a residential care facility in Fort Wayne, or take her into his home, something he questioned whether he could do without quitting his job.

About three weeks ago, the siblings puzzled over what to do as they stood near picnic tables outside the century-old county home for adults with disabilities and low-income elderly folks in need of support. Melissa, 47, was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia around age 16, and Craig, who’s 54, is her only relative in the area.

More: Settlement reached in Portage Manor lawsuit, with money to help families move

With a July 31 deadline to move out, Melissa was one of four residents who joined a lawsuit to temporarily block the county from closing Portage Manor. Plaintiff Randy Nowak, a 56-year-old with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, had lived there for more than three decades; another plaintiff, Edward McLellan, 47, moved in 18 years ago.

The last year has been a whirlwind of conflicting information, Craig said. Until last fall, St. Joseph County officials said that Portage Manor residents would move to a new facility to be built over the next couple of years. But site plans were too expensive, so an architecture firm spent months whittling down costs.

Then came the dreaded announcement in February from county commissioners, who own Portage Manor, that the facility would shut down completely. Months of last-ditch community efforts to keep the stately old home alive ensued, but in June, the commissioners stood by their decision.

“That first meeting, I told them, ‘Your facility’s got good bones,’” Melissa told The Tribune, referring to a conversation with Board of Commissioners President Carl Baxmeyer, who visited the facility to deliver the news. “‘People are actually not fighting and are getting up on their feet and taking advantage of the fact that they have this home, and you guys are shutting it down.’

“The residents at Portage Manor want to know what they did wrong.”

For Portage Manor resident, brother's death followed by behavioral issues

Melissa entered her first mental health hospital when she was around 21, she said. She lived with her parents full-time in southern California until her behavior became erratic.

Her brother Brent had died as a teenager. She self-medicated with alcohol and drugs like LSD and frequently got into fights with peers as well as her parents. A doctor diagnosed her with paranoid schizophrenia and prescribed medication.

“It just became this long, vicious cycle of her meds not working, her getting in a fight with my parents, either having the cops called on her or kicked out of the house, out on the streets, in the hospital, back to my parents’ house,” Craig told The Tribune.

Life became more volatile once her father died, she said. Melissa soon disappeared from Craig’s radar, he said.

A military veteran, Craig had moved to South Bend with his wife to help care for her aging parents. Melissa had bounced around facilities and the streets until she ended up in an assisted living home in San Bernardino, Calif., where Craig got in touch with her. He flew to meet her, and the two decided she would come back to Indiana.

Melissa lived with her brother for about a year until they found Portage Manor, a red-brick building with dramatic white columns framing the entrance.

The site opened in 1907, with capacity to house up to 285 patients who were physically disabled or deemed “feebleminded.” The facility was renamed Portage Manor in the 1980s and became a state-licensed health care center. It had room for 144 adults with disabilities or low-income seniors over 65.

“It was everything she needed. It was a stable environment, a secure location, out on this land,” Craig said, gesturing to more than 100 acres of prairie grasses and woods that surround the building. “She became friends with people. She got a boyfriend for awhile. She got a job here for awhile.

“I would have to say that this is probably the most stable I've seen her on her own, ever.”

A choice between moving in with brother, moving on elsewhere

The lawsuit failed to keep Portage Manor open. But it did end with the county agreeing to pay the four plaintiffs tens of thousands of dollars to help with their transitions to new homes.

One option was for Melissa to follow about 30 Portage Manor residents to Grand Marquis senior living facility, which occupies a retrofitted hotel in downtown Fort Wayne. The county would pay $25,000 to cover expenses.

The other choice was for Craig to move Melissa into his home and receive $50,000 from the county. But he expected the caretaking demands would mean he’d have to quit his job as a purchasing manager for Allied Physicians in South Bend.

The siblings stood in a parking lot outside Portage Manor on Tuesday morning, waiting for a U-Haul truck to cart away the last of Melissa’s furniture.

This time last year, the facility housed about 120 residents. By Tuesday, Melissa was one of two remaining.

She signed discharge papers and said goodbye to employees who walked past, all of whom she knew by name. As a van carrying the other resident pulled away, passengers slid a back door open to bid farewell and ask whether Melissa has somewhere to live next.

She’s moving in with her brother, she said.

“There’s a learning curve on our end,” Craig said. “But I think in the end, love is what’s prevailing. She doesn’t need to be two-and-a-half hours away from her supporter.”

For now, Craig’s staying at his job. He’s taking the week off to figure out what services he can pay for to help Melissa adjust.

Real Services’ Meals on Wheels program will provide lunch five days a week and remind Melissa to take her schizophrenia medication, which subdues the condition’s symptoms of delusions and hallucinations.

With Craig’s help, Melissa said, she’ll work to establish a routine and learn to take care of herself. She mentions waking up early and doing a bit of exercise each day, perhaps working to get her license and a job at some point.

“When I get on my feet, it always blows up in my face,” Melissa said. “But I have family here that’s not gonna let that happen.”

Email South Bend Tribune city reporter Jordan Smith at JTsmith@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jordantsmith09

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: St. Joseph County commissioners close Portage Manor, force residents out