Fortitude Community Outreach

12/02/2025

We must find a way in our community to sanction overnight warming centers! No red tape, no permits, few restrictions and parameters, just permission and visibility so those in need know where to go! The Homeless Task Force is working on this, but the time for deliberation has passed for Winter 2025. 🙁
Sanction overnight warming shelters now!

Multiple warming shelters have opened in Indy as windchill temperatures have begun to stretch into the teens at night. The FSSA is also encouraging Hoosiers across the state to call 211 if they need help accessing a warming center near them.

DETAILS: https://fox59.com/news/warming-centers-open-in-indianapolis-additional-shelter-information-available-via-indiana-211/

12/01/2025

We have been enjoying our kitchen volunteers as we began our evening services last week! If you’d like to help us make and serve a meal, here is the sign up link!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F094BA9AA2CA0F49-60228156-kitchen

11/27/2025

11/23/2025

My mom and I decided to cook the shelter meal together every other week, some quality time together while serving others…win/win! While I was signing up, someone else snagged one of those dates. 😄 So just a reminder that if you are considering signing up to volunteer in the kitchen, don’t wait until the spots are taken! ☺️
Also, we are in the process of scheduling regular volunteers to help with guests in the evenings from 5 or 5:30-8:30. We prefer volunteers who commit to once a week or every other week…it helps both us and our guests to have familiar faces who get to know the guests and know how we do things. If interested, please contact Ben at 815-216-1635.
Sign up to help in the kitchen here:

We would love to have you come help cook and serve the evening meal as we serve our shelter guests. You can: --Come alone or with a group as large as 6, must be at least 12 years old (with adult supervision). --Make our meal with our ingredients, or choose to make your own meal with your own ingredi...

11/22/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1JGbmTRgDm/?mibextid=WC7FNe

HOMELESSNESS - IT'S NOT WHAT YOU THINK‼️

"The story we as a nation have told ourselves, that hard work is the key to success, that work is an exit from poverty, not having a home, being homeless – what these people show us is that there's something profoundly not true about that story anymore."

"It's the same Wall Street investors who are leading families and individuals to become homeless to begin with, because they buy up the rental housing and then, if you're even one day late on your rent, you have an eviction automatically filed against you. Before you know it, you're out, and you don't have a home anymore."

Please read and watch this informative story from CBS Sunday Morning as Ted Koppel travels with Brian Goldstone, author of the new book "There Is No Place For Us: Working and Homeless in America," and records the stories of several families.

11/21/2025

We have a couple moving from homelessness to a new apartment today! Yay! However, they have a multitude of physical challenges and need a queen size bed so they are off the floor. We aren’t able to store donated beds that size so, does anyone happen to have a queen mattress they could donate today?? Gently used please!

11/20/2025

I added an additional slot for Wednesday’s Thanksgiving dinner volunteers. We can use an additional 1-5 volunteers over age 12 that night. Thanks!

We would love to have you come help cook and serve the evening meal as we serve our shelter guests. You can: --Come alone or with a group as large as 6, must be at least 12 years old (with adult supervision). --Make our meal with our ingredients, or choose to make your own meal with your own ingredi...

11/19/2025

We are cleared for take off!!! ✈️✈️✈️
Fortitude will open for Evening Services starting Monday, 11/24!
Volunteer sign ups are available at links below.
As we start receiving more donations (thank you!) and volunteers, a couple important points:
• We do not accept clothing EXCEPT for adult coats, hoodies, and tshirts
• All food must be unexpired
• Nothing can be left outdoors. Come during open hours or call 815-216-1635 to arrange. See directions to building in the green photo below.
• Please DO NOT leave any donations at our neighbors house!
• Dinner service volunteers must be 12 or older, under 18 need adult to accompany
• We not don’t offer mandatory service hours for school, court, etc.

To sign up for dinner: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F094BA9AA2CA0F49-60228156-kitchen

To sign up as someone interested in volunteering: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdKEVE8EfwNzmMzfyArdnBd4ePRj4XffrW-6E9_Kzxqqb680w/viewform?usp=sharing&ouid=107074425302249726123

11/17/2025

We have a large donation of supplies being delivered Friday 8:30am. I have a meeting at 9. Are there a few able-bodied folks who could help bring product/boxes in from the pallets they will arrive on? By able-bodied, I mean able to carry heavy boxes or tubs a short distance. Shouldn’t take too long.
If so, please text me at 814-546-3271. Thank you!

11/17/2025

Our Homeless Task Force has recently added this population as a priority issue for us to address. Per HUD, individuals paying for their own hotel rooms are not literally homeless and therefore ineligible for many grant programs. However, some grants, like Shelter Diversion, provide assistance only to individuals who are NOT yet literally homeless and, with financial assistance, can become housed within 2 weeks. Fortitude is the only organization within our 11 county Continuum of Care to have received this grant.
For the “Hidden Homeless”, like those living in hotels, this Diversion assistance can be the bridge needed to leave housing insecurity and obtain permanent housing for good.

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/when-the-employed-are-pushed-into-homelessness/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQKNjYyODU2ODM3OQhjYWxsc2l0ZQIyNQABHlQucQpm7jz8AdvU14WNmgvPvUOXjYSpNCmWrEzO628kGPAO1PWrItgHXBsd_aem_EfzCs20Ab3BAMm4_v0ZM0g

In America we are taught hard work is the key to success. But despite having full-time jobs, many families are locked out of the rental housing market, due to low wages, soaring rents and poor credit, and have been pushed into homelessness. In this two-part report, senior contributor Ted Koppel talk...

11/15/2025

The 128 page new grant notice is on my docket for some weekend “light” reading, but this helps describe what is happening with Federal funds to help homeless get permanent housing.

11/14/2025

PASSED!!!!!
We have one more small hoop to jump with our final Health Dept inspection next week, but don’t expect a problem with that. Meeting with staff this afternoon to plan opening date for evening services. 🥰🥰🥰
We’ve worked so hard…what do you think of our place for guests to get fed, get clean, get loved, and get housed??? 😁