At F.C. Tucker we talk a lot about “paying our civic rent,” so for the month of November, we would like to express our gratitude to the many organizations and individuals who serve their communities tirelessly and make Indiana a better place to live and work. We obviously can’t highlight everyone, but we would like to salute these 30 organizations that are making a difference.
30 Days of Thanksgiving – Day 19: The REALTOR® Foundation
On any given night, there are an estimated 1,900 homeless individuals in Indianapolis and hundreds more in the surrounding counties. Based on that count, as many as 12,000 individuals experienced homelessness in 2016 in Marion County alone.
What you might not know about homelessness is that it disproportionately effects families. The average ages of a homeless person in Indy is seven years old and families make up about 50 percent of the local homeless population.
Let me tell you about Jordan.
As Jordan walked through the doors of what would be his family’s bedroom at Holy Family Shelter, he beamed.
The family had been couch surfing with various relatives and homeless for nearly a year. Coming to the homeless shelter was the place of last resort. But in this moment of crisis, Jordan was relieved. He finally had his own bed. There was a dresser to hold his clothes and a small desk in a corner for him to do his homework.
He could smell a warm meal being cooked down the hall. He saw other kids his age in the children’s center. For the first time in a very long time, Jordan felt safe.
For Jordan and his family, receiving the support they needed from Holy Family Shelter was like unlocking a door to hope. Case managers were there to guide the parents through a job search, attend to medical and mental health issues that had been untreated, and provide financial planning support to get the family back on a path to independence. Most importantly, Jordan could focus on school and being a kid again.
The mission of the REALTOR® Foundation is to mobilize the real estate community to raise funds for organizations like Holy Family Shelter to be there when those in our community are in crisis whether it’s due to domestic violence, job loss, personal tragedy, mental illness or addiction.
The REALTOR® Foundation works like a United Way for REALTORS®. Your donation is combined with other REALTORS® and awarded to one of our carefully selected charities so that it can have the greatest impact possible.
Since 2003, the Foundation has granted more than $1,800,000 to local homeless service providers reaching those most at risk for homelessness due to domestic violence, health issues, job loss and other tragedies.
Organizations like Coburn Place Safe Haven, Dayspring Center, Pathway to Recovery, HVAF of Indiana and Project Home Indy benefit from the combined generosity of our industry.
We are proud of our involvement with these stellar organizations. Just in the first half of this year, our grantees served nearly 1,800 adults and children. By year end, as many as 4,000 lives will be touched by a REALTOR® Foundation grant recipient.
When we come together as an industry to give back, we can truly change lives. Together we can link hope to homeless.
Learn more at www.realtorfoundation.org.
