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nce 2012, the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust has been a valuable partner with CSH, bringing hope to vulnerable people in Arizona and Indiana.
The Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust seeks to help people in need, especially women, children and families; and to enrich community life in the metropolitan areas of Indianapolis and Phoenix.
Three of their grants awarded to CSH underpin our collaboration with the Valley of the Sun United Way, and its community partners in Phoenix, to create and manage up to 300 supportive housing units for chronically homeless individuals. The Valley of the Sun United Way committed to developing a total of 1000 supportive housing units, and thanks to partners and supporters such as the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust, they are nearly three quarters of the way to achieving their goal. Hundreds of formerly chronic homeless individuals in Phoenix now have a safe place to call home and are on the path to regain stability and independence because of this progress.
In Indianapolis, a grant awarded to CSH from the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust in 2015 helped ensure the opening of Penn Place, a 38-unit supportive housing apartment complex that serves people facing chronic homelessness and those who are frequent users of emergency, crisis services.
At Penn Place, the most vulnerable are housed first and surrounded by the support services they need to manage chronic health conditions, including mental health and substance use, navigate the red tape involved in getting veterans benefits or other entitlements, and learn how to live in a community setting again, with its rights and responsibilities. Because housing at Penn Place is used as a platform for recovery and well-being, there are on-site clinics operated by Eskenazi Pedigo Health Center and Midtown Mental Health.
Penn Place incorporates the harm reduction approach, which helps residents of supportive housing reduce the harm associated with risky activities by incorporating practical techniques and strategies. While it is most often associated with substance use, harm reduction encompasses a wide range of recovery-oriented goals. While many conventional shelters or housing have rigid intake processes focused on “screening out” residents, harm reduction in supportive housing emphasizes inclusive, direct access to a home, switching the emphasis from program-centric to person-centric.
The coordinated care found at Penn Place and in the supportive housing in Phoenix gives the residents the best chance for success by addressing the root causes of their homelessness in a safe, stable environment, providing them a firm foundation for recovery.
Thanks to generous investments from the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust, new supportive housing units in Phoenix and Indianapolis are becoming the homes people have hoped for and changing the trajectory of their lives.
