Family Support Services named Propel finalist

When seven Central Indiana nonprofits vie for more than $100,000 in investment later this month, Family Support Services of West Central Indiana will be in the running.

The Greencastle-based nonprofit was one of the finalists announced Thursday for the United Way of Central Indiana’s second-annual Propel initiative.

The other finalists include City Circle Village, Fathers and Families Center, Fight for Life Foundation, Indianapolis Legal Aid Society, Ivy Tech Foundation and Project WILL Inc.

Four of these had already been announced as finalists, leaving four others — including Family Support Services — to compete for the final two spots via the peer-to-peer group, with the top earner in dollars raised and in most donations each earning a spot.

However, FSSWCI triggered a tie-breaker by capturing the top spot in both categories.

“We appreciate the community support in that,” Family Support Services Executive Director Scott Monnett said. “It’s pretty amazing.”

The tiebreaker was to be the organization with the most donations, but two of them, Ivy Tech and Fight for Life, received the exact same number of donations.

In this case, both advanced.

Now all seven will be at High Alpha in downtown Indianapolis on April 27 to pitch their big ideas and game-changing investments.

For FSSWCI, that investment is in the Domestic Violence Supportive Housing Program. With a focus on the Housing First Model, the mission of Supportive Housing focuses on getting survivors of domestic violence into stable housing quickly.

Domestic violence is a leading cause of homelessness for women and children. Through the Housing First approach, FSSWCI advocates focus on getting survivors of domestic violence into stable housing as quickly as possible, and then provide the necessary support as they rebuild their lives. Components include survivor-driven, trauma-informed, mobile advocacy; community engagement; and flexible financial assistance.

More information on a livestream of the event will be announced later.