The Salvation Army receives a $300,000 award to support housing efforts

INDIANAPOLIS (April 20, 2023) – Through Indianapolis’ Continuum of Care initiative, Mayor Joe Hogsett announced that The Salvation Army will receive over $300,000 in 2023 to support the Ruth Lilly Women and Children’s Center. These funds will support the center’s operations of creating 13 Rapid Recovery units for clients who are fleeing or attempting to flee domestic violence situations.

“We continue to be committed to finding ways to serve suffering humanity, in the name of Jesus, without discrimination. Receiving funding and entering collaborations like this is a huge barrier-buster, enabling us to serve more families that are in need of our support,” says Major Rachel Stouder, Central Indiana Area Commander for The Salvation Army.

​The Continuum of Care (CoC) is a coordinated, community-based approach of identifying needs and building a system of housing and services to address those needs. The CoC consists of individuals and organizations committed to preventing and ending homelessness in the community. Their goal is to secure permanent, safe, stable housing for any individuals or families within the first 30 days of their homelessness designation.

“The Salvation Army is extremely proud to be a partnering organization and program with the City of Indianapolis and the Department of Housing and Urban Development to provide housing and supportive services to families fleeing unsafe and unstable situations,” says Dena Simpson, Indiana Divisional Social Services Director of The Salvation Army. “The funding will allow additional options for families that struggled to make decisions to support their safety and wellness along with providing long term guidance and care as they navigate a new journey.”

These resources come in accordance with an August 2022 commitment by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) which eventually awarded Indianapolis with $9.9 million of its $2.8 billion national campaign budget aimed at shrinking homelessness rates across America. This award amount also represents a 127% increase in the federal funding Indianapolis has received from HUD compared to only nine years ago in 2014.

"The Salvation Army Women and Children's Center, a community-centered organization, is thankful to be one of the recipients of the Federal award for housing and homelessness prevention in the City of Indianapolis," says Pam McGaha, Director of The Salvation Army Ruth Lilly Women and Children's Center. "Our organization exists to serve our community and build a better future for our residents by breaking the cycle of violence. This funding will allow this organization to reach our goals of engaging, advocating, empowering, and assisting vulnerable individuals in our city as well as building lives and communities free from violence."

The City of Indianapolis and Mayor Hogsett have committed to renewing this award of over $300,000 to The Salvation Army annually through 2025. The Salvation Army will continue its efforts to limit homelessness in Indianapolis through its dedication to protect and shelter vulnerable individuals and families attempting to escape acts and the fear of domestic violence.

For more information about the Ruth Lilly Women and Children's Center or on how to support the mission and programs of The Salvation Army, visit CentralUSA.SalvationArmy.org.