14 Nov We’ve ceremonially broken ground at our Center for Women & Children in Indianapolis!
A historical day!
On Wednesday, November 13, we gathered with friends and supporters to ceremonially kick off expansion. As we crowded together beneath a heated tent—the temperature outside barely above 20 degrees—I was moved. The freezing cold outside was a poignant reminder of all the women and children who desperately need our help. Thanks to this expansion, thousands more women and children each year will be given the help, warmth, and shelter they sincerely deserve.
We launched this campaign on October 20, 2018, and are humbled and in awe of God’s enduring faithfulness and our community’s rapid response and generosity. This $13 million (originally $12 million) campaign is the largest in Wheeler Mission’s history, and we’ve already raised $11.7 million and broken ground…all in just 390 days!
Instrumental partners.
On the road the our groundbreaking, there were several key gifts that propelled our progress forward:
- Lilly Endowment—$3 million, plus an additional $1 million in a 1:1 match. Currently, we’ve raised $834,754 toward that match!
- Tax credit allocations through the City of Indianapolis—Earlier this year, the City of Indianapolis was awarded $55 million in New Markets Tax Credits and has graciously awarded Wheeler Mission $9 million in Tax Credit allocations. We are currently working with Chase Bank to purchase these credits with a realized net proceed for the project, anticipated to be around $1.4 million.
- Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust–$1 million!
So to Chuck Preston and the amazing folks at the Lilly endowment, to Deputy Mayor Jeff Bennett from the City of Indianapolis, and to David Hillman and all the staff and directors of the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust—thank you for your confidence in us and your incredible commitment to the women and children who will be served here.
The future.
Once expansion is complete, the Center for Women & Children will offer:
- 164 new permanent beds
- 125 emergency overflow spots (in the form of cots)
- A new, secure childcare space
- An indoor play space for families to use together
- Improved bathroom and laundry facilities
- Additional staff to improve our staff-to-guest ratio, security, and program support
- Expanded onsite medical clinics
- Expanded education center
All of this will more than double our program capacity, enabling us to offer more emergency shelter, counseling, job training, addiction recovery, and other care than ever before!
Friends, with just over $1 million left to raise, our eyes are fixed on the finish and we have no doubt we’ll reach our goal.
Thank you to all who are making this expansion a reality. Together, we’re providing help, hope, and healing to hundreds more women and children experiencing homelessness.
Praise God from whom ALL blessings flow.
Rick