In continued support, we will award the Women’s Resource Center with $13,618.91. For more information about the Women’s Resource Center, please click on their logo.
Hope Center Indy Pet Hotel Program
Program:
From its inception, the primary focus of the Hope Center Indy (HCI) has been to provide a safe, faith-based refuge to women over 18 who are survivors of Human Sex Trafficking. HCI’s unique programming meets the women where they are. The residents live in a holistic community where each can initiate a healing process within a safe and loving family atmosphere and be provided free housing, food and clothing. The purpose of the Pet Hotel will be to first and foremost house service animals and animals in training to become a source of therapy for our residents. A goal for this project will also be to rescue animals from local shelters and select them, based on their temperament, for training to become future service animals.
The Pet Hotel will provide several services to the public, and residents will be encouraged to serve and assist as they learn the trade and small business skills. Some of the services the Pet Hotel will provide are:
- Overnight Pet Boarding
- Animal Grooming
- Dog Training
- Veterinarian Care (Service to be donated by a licensed veterinarian)
Eli Lilly and Company will be serving at the Hope Center this September 27, 2018 as part of their Global Leadership Day to help with the beginning stages of creating the Pet Hotel.
Testimonial:
“This is a safe place for me to change & become a stronger person. I’m surrounded by people who love me & are willing to help me.” -Resident T.
Love INC, Safe Families Program
Program:
Safe Families for Children is an organization that helps Placing Parents (PP) with the majority being single moms who are facing a crisis situation. That crisis can be anything from unemployment to homelessness to medical crisis; and any/all in between. Safe Families for Children provides volunteer host families to host the Placing Parent’s child(ren) while the PP stabilizes their crisis situation. Safe Families for Children also provides a Family Coach who not only walks through the hosting with the host family(ies) and children; but the Family Coach also walks alongside the PP to get through the crisis. Many times a PP comes to Safe Families without a job or home. The Family Coach meets weekly with the PP to insure that he/she is understanding goals and obtaining the resources needed to meet these goals. The Family Coach does not DO these things for the PP; but instead provides guidance, encouragement and resources to better his/herself along the way, as the PP meets the goals. The goal at the end of every hosting with Safe Families is that PP has met his/her goals and child(ren) are reunited with the PP. Safe Families is proud to say that we have a 97% reunification rate.
Testimonial:
“We welcomed two sweet girls into our home and our world has never been the same. These sweet girls and their mamma have become family to us. This was a longer placement than expected and had ups and downs but I believe was exactly what we were supposed to be doing. They have connected us to people we never would have met, and shown us the best thing you can do for someone sometimes is love them. As the placement has ended we have stayed connected and have what feels like a great co-parenting situation with these children and their mother, because success is what we all want for this family. Their mother has worked so hard for the betterment of her life and her children’s life, it is has been such a blessing to witness. It is truly amazing to see what God does when you finally let go of the controls you think you have.”-Anonymous
Mental Health Partners Heroin Protocol Program
Program:
The Heroin Protocol, whose participants will primarily benefit from this funding, was implemented in March 2016 to combat the 100% failure rate of heroin addicts on probation. Some of the most significant challenges for heroin addicts who leave jail and begin probation include lack of housing that is conducive to recovery combined with a lack of a person’s basic needs (hygiene, bedding, food, clothing). Heroin Protocol participants are mandated to reside in a recovery house for the first 90 days of their probation, where they receive structure, support, and substance abuse treatment. However, most recovery houses cannot provide the essentials for basic care. Mental Health Partners collaborates with Hancock County Probation with the Heroin Protocol Program by paying the initial fee and providing bedding, clothing and personal care to each of the participants.
Testimonial:
Jessica was a 19-year-old who was newly-married and a new mom. Her parents left Hancock County and moved to Tennessee. She was living in an abusive relationship with her husband and dealing with post-partum depression. Her only escape to feeling good came when she used drugs. She found herself using more and more. Her abusive husband left her and took her son to Tennessee. She was alone and had no family support when she got arrested for the first time in Marion County. They held her and then she was released with no idea how to remain clean. She would be clean for a month or so and go back to using.
Soon, she met an old boyfriend and had 2 children with him. Each child was born addicted and spent time in the hospital to detox their bodies. Jessica was arrested again, this time in Hancock County. Her children were placed in foster care because their father was also in jail for drug use. She was facing losing her parental rights and knew she didn’t want to lose her children. She met with Probation Officer Amy Ikerd and was court ordered to a recovery house where she learned to live a clean life. In order to be in the Heroin Protocol Program, you must plead guilty, and then you have a record as a felon.
Jessica is now 29 years old and has been clean for 10 months. She has a steady job and is living in a townhouse apartment. On July 30, she will get her kids back. Jessica says if this program did not exist, she would still be using or dead. She is so thankful this program exists and wishes this program were available everywhere because it is needed.
Voting has ended for this grant process.
