Interim Report: Family Promise of Hendricks County
Family Promise of Hendricks County is the 2020 Change Maker, recipient of the 2020 $100,000 grant. They submitted the following interim report.
- Please list the primary goals identified in your proposals and describe the progress you have made toward meeting each goal, including specific examples. Please explain any variance from your goals or expected progress.
End and Prevent Homelessness: The goal of the PowerHouse Project is to end homelessness in our community by cultivating relationships with landlords to secure existing housing stock and become the “front door” for new affordable housing. Since July, we have been able to accomplish the following:
- Ended homelessness by providing a home for 65 families. All of these families received stability services to ensure their continued success.
- Secured 9 properties that are exclusively for the use of FP families.This is a result of partnerships with the town of Plainfield, private investors and a local bank.
- Hired a full time housing advocate to secure more housing in our community.
- In the early stages of development with Plainfield, Brownsburg and Plainfield to build affordable housing complexes with low rent barriers
- Secured 16 unit sleeping rooms for single and homeless.
- Received $400,000 grant for 30 housing units for domestic violence survivors.
- Prevented homeless for 250 families. 25 of those families were assisted through this grant.
2. Has your timeline, budget, approach or plans changed from what was described in your original proposal? If yes, please explain.
We haven’t spent as much on rehab of properties, but that will be coming in January and February. We have also spent more on staff than anticipated due to the increase number of families we are serving. Finally, we spent less on direct services. This was a result of increase in other funding to help pay rent, but this will change after the first of the year.
3. Describe the response of the community or clients to the program thus far.
The response from our community has been tremendous. Our community looks to us to lead the economic recover of the pandemic for the 24% of our neighbors who are unable to meet their basic needs. We have received so much support from our local government, churches, businesses and social service agencies. Most of our all our landlords! Our hope is to entice landlords to rent to our families. Through our MOUso fguaranteed rent, it has worked. We still need many more, but progress is being made.
The best part of all of this is the lives that are transformed! Our families are overjoyed to be in their own home. They sent us pictures of their Christmas trees and are just so grateful for the opportunity for stability, With your help and the town of Plainfield, this family moved out of our shelter after 3 months into their own home.
4. Please describe any unanticipated challenges encountered with this project to date and explain how you plan to address those challenges.
So far,everything has gone as planned.
5. Describe specific successes achieved to this point, which demonstrate the positive impact of the program and reinforce why it is a worthwhile endeavor.
The largest successis the 65 families who are now in their own homes! This exceeded our goal! We were able to achieve this with the increased staff and credibility. We were able to reach more landlords with a plan they could get behind. We have also made huge in roads with local government to approve more affordable housing developments. This includes new Family Promise board members representing the towns of Avon and Brownsburg. Also, see picture above!
6. Describe any changes that you wish to make at this time to the grant performance objectives and activities.
None.
