FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO): Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry today announced the City of Fort Wayne will invest federal dollars in 19 local nonprofit programs.
Nearly $540,000, in Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) and Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds will help low- and moderate-income residents with shelter, employment skills, domestic violence support and youth development. This is more than the usual yearly grant allocations because, due to the pandemic, the City received additional funding from the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We are so blessed to have so many great nonprofits in our community,” said Kelly Lundberg. “We are thrilled to assist with their endeavors to create stronger families.”
“Our partner agencies are doing important work by helping residents succeed and lead meaningful lives. We’re fortunate to live in a community that’s committed to supporting local organizations who go above and beyond each day to provide essential services to the public,” said Mayor Henry. “I’m also thankful for the work and leadership of our Community Development Division and the Office of Housing & Neighborhood Services as they manage the funds. In addition, we value and appreciate the funding we receive from the federal government to assist in local efforts to enhance Fort Wayne and the quality of life for our residents.”
The City uses a competitive application process to award the grants. A volunteer committee helps score the applications and makes recommendations on funding. Criteria are based on goals for the use of federal funds that are developed in part with input from local residents.
The organizations being awarded grants are:
| Organization name | Program | Program Description |
| A Mother’s Hope | A Mother’s Hope Case Management Program | Provides shelter and services exclusively for pregnant women experiencing homelessness. Funding will support more intensive case management to residents in the maternity home and after-care. |
| Building A Stronger Family | Shadows for Success & Workshops | Program focuses on career readiness, mental wellness and addressing trauma for youth and their families. Funding will expand programming. |
| Language Services Network | English Innovations – ESL Classes | Provide community interpretation and translation workshops to expand community capacity, offer additional on-site service locations, hire program coordinators, and provide support for low-cost interpretation and translation services. |
| Literacy Alliance | Pre-HSE and ESOL Classes | The Literacy Alliance will provide Pre-HSE and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL). Goal is to serve 240 students in the program year. |
| Lutheran Social Services | LSSI Works | Funding will be used for personal and professional development training, quality job placement, financial education, job retention and stability services. |
| YMCA | College & Career Readiness | Expansion of the music and video program, provide additional summer staff, create career portfolios and the addition of a computer science component to the College & Career Readiness program. |
| Brightpoint | Coordinated Entry | Funding will support the Coordinated Entry program |
| Just Neighbors | Same City Food Truck | A pilot collaborative and innovative food truck project to bring high-quality restaurant meals to the most vulnerable homeless individuals in our community. |
| Catholic Charities | Mission Possible | Program is designed to transition residents from the Rescue Mission shelter programming into community living. |
| Amani | Coordinated Multicultural Outreach | The project focuses on emergency prevention and outreach activities for immigrant and refugee families, including referrals to appropriate resources, outreach assessments, advocacy and counseling. |
| HealthVisions | Wellness Initiative | Program will expand HealthVision’s health classes to include workshops that addresses social determinants of health, including mental health, employment and financial wisdom. |
| The League | Advocacy: Helping People with Disabilities to Achieve Self-Sufficiency | Addition of a second full-time Advocacy Coordinator to assist individuals with disabilities with direct case coordination, along with systemic advocacy for employment, accessible/affordable housing, and transportation. |
| Wellspring | Wellspring Hygiene Kits | Support the cost of creating and distributing “personal hygiene kits” to low-income and homeless individuals in the community. |
