On June 6, the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners voted to shut down the facility after reviewing proposals from Dr. Sylvana Atallah and the Portage Manor Task Force.

The task force recommended finding a third party to operate Portage Manor and take it out of the county’s hands.

Dr. Atallah, a potential third party, recommended renovating the existing building. She also set up a nonprofit to support her plans.

Ultimately, commissioners do not believe Dr. Atallah is qualified to take over operations at Portage Manor.

According to commissioners, it would cost over $10,000,000 to renovate the building. This would be difficult to support financially since many of the residents at Portage Manor are only served by the Indiana Residential Care Assistance Program (RCAP), and the reimbursement rate for RCAP hasn’t increased in about 15 years.

No other State of Indiana or federal government program supports the specific population Portage Manor serves, commissioners said.

All but 10 county homes throughout Indiana have been shut down due to the low RCAP reimbursement rate and other factors.

Many Portage Manor residents are said to qualify for Medicaid waiver or other student or federal programs, but those who don’t will need to be put in RCAP beds.

Because of this, the board of commissioners is recommending the county council negotiate with a community partner to create a new RCAP program, in accordance with Indiana Code 12-30-1-6.

The board is asking the council to use the remaining $1,500,000 in American Rescue Plan (ARP) money to start a RCAP program that will help transition residents to a new facility and support upgrades to that facility.

“The Board of Commissioners is enthusiastic about the strong possibility of partnering with a local partner which would allow most the current residents of Portage Manor to have the opportunity to stay together as a community and live in a much nicer facility.”

One of the biggest worries Portage Manor residents have expressed with this closure is the possibility of being separated from their community.

The commissioners also shared the proposals with Rick Stiffney of Integrated Leadership & Consultancy LLC, who consults with nonprofit governing boards and corporate leadership across the country.

While he said a third-party partnership might have been a preferred outcome, and could’ve been possible 12-18 months ago, it is not possible now. He does not believe it would be wise to hand off Portage Manor to the “untested nonprofit.”

Stiffney does not believe he can judge how Dr. Atallah's nonprofit board could handle running Portage Manor because the board members' names have not been released and, therefore, he and county officials cannot verify their credibility.

According to Stiffney, Dr. Atallah indicated the three board members don't want their names publicized until the Board of Commissioners approves the transfer of Portage Manor to the nonprofit, called A Place for Everyone Inc. 

You can read his full opinion below.

Stiffney's opinion and the board of commissioners' opinion can also be found on St. Joseph County's website.

Tuesday night’s meeting begins at 6 p.m. and is open to the public. 

Community members can attend the meeting at the County-City Building or join via Zoom.

ABC57 News will be at the meeting and will have full coverage during NightTeam at 10 and 11 p.m.