Hamilton County Reporter

Hamilton County Area Neighborhood Development Inc. (HAND) has been awarded a $25,000 grant from the Central Indiana Senior Charles N. Smith Trust Fund, a CICF Fund, to support a new Home Repair & Mobility Assistance program for low- to moderate-income seniors.

The program is a collaboration among three organizations: HAND, Habitat for Humanity of Hamilton County and Shepherd’s Center of Hamilton County. The bulk of the funding will be used for home repairs or modifications that will allow seniors to continue aging in place. The remainder will pay for a regularly scheduled “shopper shuttle” for seniors who need help getting to the store.

HAND is the program administrator, processing home-repair applications and tracking results. Habitat’s experienced volunteers will handle construction. And Shepherd’s Center is coordinating the shopper shuttle along with providing referrals for both services.

Organizers hope to complete 15 home-repair projects and provide shuttle access to as many as 40 seniors a month by November 2018.

The three organizations also are working with the City of Fishers on a separate initiative to build ramps for homeowners with accessibility issues, and they are seeking additional funding for repairs to homes not owned by seniors.

Founded in 2003, HAND invests in neighborhoods, provides housing solutions and develops partnership to improve lives and build community. The organization owns six apartment communities that offer a total of 96 affordable units; 10 additional units are under construction near Carmel.