Auburn, IN | December 27, 2023 — Fortify Life, a DeKalb County based non-profit organization, has announced a partnership with the Federal Home Loan Bank of Indianapolis and Community State Bank.
As part of this partnership and the Affordable Housing Program, Fortify Life has been awarded a grant for $600,000 to provide much needed renovations to Fortify Home, a local emergency and intermediate housing facility in Auburn.
Through the collaboration of many non-profit organizations in DeKalb County, it was identified that homelessness and housing crisis needs were grossly unmet. Fortify Life wanted to be part of the solution.
In 2021, Fortify Home opened its doors, and it continues to support individuals and families from DeKalb County who are experiencing a housing crisis. Currently, the facility offers 13 rooms. For the program Neighbors, these rooms represent a fresh start. Here, they partner with Fortify Home team members to address basic needs such as food and health care before focusing on long-term goals such as employment, child care, and ultimately, stable housing.
Most Neighbors participants spend five to six months at Fortify Home before transitioning to permanent housing. While the work done through Fortify Home is impacting lives by itself, they also pride themselves on being one of the very few shelters in the region that allows family units to stay intact during their stay.
“When we think about homelessness in DeKalb County, it isn’t the image we see on national news; there aren’t tent cities and camp sites in downtown Auburn,” said Mitch Figert, executive director of Fortify Life...
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