IU Health grants will support housing and training needs across Indiana

INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana University Health has awarded $4.3 million to community organizations across the state to meet critical housing and training needs of some of the most vulnerable Hoosiers.

The grants for 2021 are from the $100 million Community Impact Investment Fund (CIIF), which is administered by the IU Health Foundation to address key social and environmental factors that heavily affect health outcomes. Since the fund was established in 2018 the foundation has helped to secure nearly $2 million in additional philanthropic investments from community organizations in support of the fund’s efforts.

So far, IU Health has announced nearly $12 million in grants from the fund to dozens of organizations in Indiana. The 2020 grants included funding to help Hoosiers cope with social and economic hardships during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The Community Impact Investment Fund is enhancing IU Health’s mission to make Indiana a healthier place to live,” said IU Health President and CEO Dennis Murphy. “The latest grants will prove the power of partnering with local service organizations to combat negative determinants of health, from adverse childhood experiences to underemployment, and improve health outcomes in Indiana.”

The following community partners will receive IU Health CIIF funding for 2021:

• Volunteers of America: $1.4 million over two years to provide transitional housing for women who are suffering from substance use disorder and who are pregnant or have young children in Hendricks and western Marion counties, to support them as they progress in their recovery care. The program will help women reduce addictions, find stable incomes. and improve mental health and social relationships.

• Eleven Fifty Academy: $1 million over three years to launch Advancing Technology in Indiana, a workforce development program to provide technology training and digital literacy to adults and youth in Tippecanoe, Clinton, Cass, White, Benton, Montgomery, Fountain, Warren, Carroll and Pulaski counties. The program aims to improve job skills and help participants earn a higher standard of living.

• New Hope for Families: $700,000 over three years to provide access to housing and support services for homeless expectant parents in Monroe and nearby counties. Funding also will be used to increase capacity for early childhood education.

• Early Learning Indiana: $600,000 over three years to develop HOPE (Healthy Outcomes of Positive Experiences), a program to reduce adverse life events in at-risk young children in Marion County and expanding to other counties served by IU Health hospitals. HOPE will train caregivers to prepare children for kindergarten through high-quality learning programs and stable, nurturing relationships.

• Lawrence County Workforce Coalition: $300,000 over three years for educational and workforce training and more employment options in Lawrence and Orange counties. The goal is to increase the numbers of licensed social workers in the area, adults in workforce training and workers with jobs providing health insurance benefits.

• GLAM & Judson Partnership: $300,000 to buy and renovate the historic Indiana Federation of Colored Women’s Club near IU Health Methodist Hospital in downtown Indianapolis. The building will be used for emergency housing for at-risk girls in crisis and provide mentoring and critical support services.