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We Can Match
Your Gift!
Jim and Lee Vann, through their Vann Family Foundation, have made a substantial gift of $50,000 to our capital campaign—and even more! Over and above their gift, they have made it possible for us to match dollar for dollar the next $40,000 of gifts pledged or given to us for the new building. Because of their caring, you can double your gift!  Credit card gifts made on our website are also eligible for the match. Please call us if you would like a pledge card to spread your gift over time.

IHN is dedicated to providing the most effective services possible to help homeless families deal with their housing crisis and movement toward self-sufficiency consistent with sound financial stewardship. Because of this mission, we need to respond to our changing environment even if such changes may cause us to redo core components of our program.

ADAPTING TO THE CHANGING NEEDS OF THE HOMELESS

Since 2006, we have documented that the homeless population we serve is coming to us with more needs and fewer internal and external resources than ever before. In short, both our children and adults need more attention to educational, emotional and life skills enhancement than we can provide with our current paradigm of housing families in churches. Because families must prepare to leave, then be transported to the church and once there get settled in, we lose approximately 2-3 hours a day of potential program time. In addition, the reduced stress of not having to move twice a day can provide our families a much needed a sense of well-being. This will increase their physical and emotional energy which will allow us to schedule evening classes that address their special needs. This crucial programming is not possible with our current model. The church volunteers will continue to serve our families as before with the change being that they will perform their duties in a centralized facility and will no longer be required to spend the night at their church with our families. IHN will employ second and third shift staff members to insure that professional supervisory services are provided around the clock. A number of IHN affiliates throughout the nation have converted to an on-site shelter. The empirical evidence indicates that the homeless crisis for these families is more effectively addressed by the caring community of trained volunteers and staff at one central location. The Board of Directors and staff unanimously agree that by providing housing on site we will be able to move our residents much further along the continuum of self-sufficiency. In assisting these families who have been challenged more than ever before to attain a productive and satisfying life, IHN will serve our mission better as well as the community, as families move forward to self-sufficiency.

MOVING FAMILIES FORWARD – THE NEXT STEP

In order to best serve our clients, the IHN board has developed a long-term plan that calls for IHN to build our capacity in terms of the number of families we can serve and the services we provide. The board has identified several key components that are necessary to move our agency and our families forward. We are currently undertaking a capital campaign to raise $600,000 to fund the following three components:

1. Purchase of a larger Day Center/Residential Facility……………………….…$260,000
2. Renovation and furnishing of the new Day Center/Residential Facility………..250,000
3. Program enhancements.………………………………………………………….....90,000

TOTAL $600,000               
 

Together, these initiatives comprise the “Moving Our Families Forward” Capital Campaign. The effect of this campaign effort is to enhance IHN’s current operations while creating a strong foundation for our long-term growth and stability.

1. Purchase of Larger Facility to House the Day Center/Residential Facility

IHN has entered into a contract to purchase property currently owned and occupied by Cancer Services of Northeast Indiana (CSNI), a local not-for-profit agency. CSNI likewise is under contract to relocate to a new building. The CSNI property meets all the criteria established by the Board’s Relocation and Building Committee for a new Day Center.

One of the biggest challenges IHN has encountered in the last 3 years has been inadequate space in the current Day Center located at 2605 Gay Street in southeast Fort Wayne. The physical limitations of the Day Center serve to constrain daily activities involving staff, volunteers and guests and inhibit plans to increase programming to better serve our guests. The total square footage for living space at the Day Center is 475 square feet. The office area is 270 square feet. Both living and office space are less than adequate when IHN operates at capacity or near capacity. With 4 full-time staff, 1 part-time staff working during the week, 3 part-time staff working weekends, and a rotating university intern position located on-site, the close quarters do not produce an optimum work environment. Currently, IHN has 2 office rooms that hold 5 staff members. In contrast, such close proximity breeds negative conditions, including a lack of privacy in conducting interviews and counseling with guests and interaction with outside agencies assisting our guests. An illustration of the consequences of this overcrowding is in the tutoring of our guest children. An administrator of the Fort Wayne Community Schools has advised that IHN needs to provide a quiet space for their school sponsored tutor in working with our children. Unfortunately, there are too many days when we are over-capacity for our space and therefore we cannot guarantee a quiet workspace for study. Our guests have left difficult, many times unsafe and unhealthy living conditions, to find safe haven in our program. It is imperative that we offer our families a safe and healthy environment at the Day Center.

2. Renovation and Furnishing of the New Day Center/Residential Facility

While the size and location of the building to be purchased from CSNI are ideal for IHN, the building interior will require some renovations to accommodate our guests, including bathrooms equipped with showers and private bedrooms for families to gather and rest as needed. Also, appropriate furniture and equipment will need to be acquired. The furnishing needs are designed to accommodate our guests in a home-like atmosphere. <<BACK TO TOP>>

3. Program Enhancements

On-going strategic planning by the IHN Board and staff projects that in order to better meet the desired goal of helping our guests to achieve independence, IHN needs to offer additional programming both during the emergency shelter period and on a continuum-of-care basis after they have found housing and are no longer in need of emergency shelter. IHN has identified five programming opportunities for implementation during the next two years which in other IHN markets have proven to be instrumental in moving families from a status of short-term dependency into long-term self-sufficiency.

1. Employment preparation/income counseling/GED readiness
2. Financial/credit repair and counseling
3. Education/tutorial center for adults and children
4. Health Services Program (health assessment, parenting, nutrition/meal planning,
exercise and health training)
5. Homelessness Advocacy (training and workshops for volunteers and community)

In addition to requiring more space than our current Day Center can provide, it is expected that these programs will require an additional staff person; therefore, these programs will be phased into operations over time as dictated by prudent planning.  <<BACK TO TOP>>

MOVING FAMILIES FORWARD: AN INVITATION TO JOIN THE IHN FAMILY

Now in our eighth year, IHN has already achieved much for homeless families in our community. The IHN program has grown from a small group of dedicated volunteers to a force of over 1,000 volunteers and professional staff. From our beginnings with 12 congregations, we are now a network of 24 congregations located throughout the city and county and we are still growing. Since we opened our doors and our hearts to homeless families, we have served over 700 children and adults. The need for our services is growing each year.

The IHN Board and staff are excited about the possibilities the “Moving Our Families Forward” capital campaign creates for the IHN families. To demonstrate their commitment, 100% of the board and staff have already made gifts and/or personal pledges to support the effort. We are now reaching out to our volunteers and friends to ask you to join us in helping homeless families. Your support of the “Moving Our Families Forward” campaign ensures that homeless families will have a safe place to receive critical help in a time of crisis and an opportunity to move forward to self-sufficiency. Click here to make your financial gift to "Moving Our Families Forward."

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