Wheeler Mission Receives $3M from Lilly Endowment
Photo courtesy of Wheeler Mission
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowIndianapolis-based Wheeler Mission says it has raised more than $7.4 million toward its $12 million Building for Change capital campaign. The organization has also announced a $3 million contribution to the campaign from Lilly Endowment Inc.
The donation from the endowment will allow Wheeler Mission to break ground on the expanded facility this fall. Lilly Endowment will also contribute up to an additional $1 million to the project through a one-to-one matching funds challenge, which began in July.
“We are extremely grateful to Lilly Endowment for its contribution to our Center for Women & Children. Once transformed, this facility will provide much-needed services to homeless women and children in Indianapolis,” said Wheeler Mission President and Chief Executive Officer Rick Alvis in a news release. “However, our work is not over. The fundraising process will continue because the need will continue. I want to remind the community that we must come together to change the trajectory of homelessness in Indianapolis forever.”
Once completed, the Center for Women & Children will feature:
- 164 new permanent beds, including 30 transitional apartments for mothers with children
- 40 new emergency shelter beds
- 84 new family shelter beds
- A dayroom, offering women and children relief from the streets
- A new, secure child care area
- Indoor play space for children
- Expanded on-site medical and mental health clinics
- Redesigned and expanded dining areas to promote a more family-friendly environment
- Appointment visiting rooms for individuals and families meeting with community service providers
- Expanded education center
- 50 percent increase in programming, including counseling, job training, addiction recovery, social enterprise and other services
- Additional staff to increase the guest-to-staff ratio, creating a more secure environment for women and women with children
You can learn more about the campaign by clicking here.