HANCOCK COUNTY — Help for addiction, domestic violence and other services in the county just got a nearly $200,000 boost thanks to grants from Lilly Endowment through United Way of Central Indiana.
The funds are part of the $1.75 million United Way distributed to human services organizations serving individuals affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Groups in Boone, Hamilton, Hendricks and Morgan counties received grants.
Twelve organizations serving Hancock County benefited.
The Indianapolis-based Children’s Bureau, Inc., a nonprofit helping families overcome challenges that can lead to unhealthy behavior and threaten children’s well-being, received $39,000 for its efforts in the county.
“It certainly allows us to continue to offer these programs in Hancock County, and honestly could not be timelier, given the stresses associated with isolation and mental distress due to the pandemic,” said Annie Martinez, vice president of communications and development for Children’s Bureau and Families First.
Grant dollars will help maintain mental health and social services that Children’s Bureau provides, such as domestic violence survivor counseling and advocacy.
The organization also offers a batterers intervention program.
“Counselors work with male participants in small groups to help them understand the cycle of violence and learn alternative behaviors instead of lashing out,” Martinez said.
Substance use disorder treatment and home-based therapy and counseling are also among the organization’s services.
Children’s Bureau served more than 250 people in Hancock County last year, Martinez said, the majority of whom identified as white women between the ages of 19 and 45 living at or near the federal poverty level.
The Landing Place, which offers an addiction recovery program at 18 W. South St., Greenfield, received $11,500. It was the second United Way grant the organization received since the pandemic started.
“Really, to be honest, it’s helped keep us going,” said Linda Ostewig, director of The Landing Place.
Like Children’s Bureau, funds will help continue the organization’s services. The Landing Place just started offering a new program for parents and family members of addicted loved ones.
The organization also recently installed a box outside its entrance containing naloxone, a medication that reverses the effects of an opioid overdose. Directions are included on how to administer the medication, which is a nasal spray. Naloxone is available for free inside the facility during operating hours as well.
Support from Lilly Endowment Inc. made the United Way grants possible, and build on relief efforts funded by a $3.5 million Lilly Endowment grant announced last year.
With the latest round of grants, a total of $5.25 million has been distributed to 90 organizations working in the five recipient counties.
Work groups made up of United Way of Central Indiana staff and county representatives, including staff of counties’ community foundations, analyzed needs in each area. Funding recommendations included food, housing, health and transportation; mental health support for youth, families and seniors; and child-care and child/family safety programs.
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United Way grants
- Children’s Bureau: $39,000
- Eastern Hancock Education Foundation: $10,000
- Greenfield-Central Education Foundation: $10,000
- Mt. Vernon Education Foundation: $10,000
- Southern Hancock Education Foundation: $10,000
- Hancock County Court Appointed Special Advocates: $10,000
- Zoey’s Place Child Advocacy Center: $15,000
- Hancock County Senior Services: $14,000
- Healthy365: $37,500
- The Landing Place: $11,500
- Mental Health Partners of Hancock County: $8,000
- Women’s Resource Center of Hancock County: $15,000
- Total: $190,000
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