MISSION: Bridging the gap to stability through thriving partnerships, coaching and education.
VISION: Human Services, Inc. will create solutions that lead to stability and independence for individuals and families in an ever-changing economy and diverse community, while exhibiting a high standard of excellence.
Human Services, Inc. began in 1965 as BBJ - Community Action Program providing grass roots programs to the lower income population in Bartholomew, Brown, and Jackson Counties. Some of the agency’s earliest programs to fight President Lyndon B. Johnson’s “War on Poverty” were the Head Start Summer program, Food Buyers program, the Feeder Pig Project, the Cabin Craftsman’s Center, and Sewing Cooperative. Later initiatives to assist with legal needs, housing, family planning, community planning, and the VISTA volunteer program laid the framework and foundation for later programs to emerge so the community could assist a population of its citizens in need. These initiatives created the opportunity to build community partnerships and collaborations for the purpose of reducing barriers to a population. Barriers that prevented the population from thriving in their communities. Through the years Human Services, Inc. has expanded it’s capacity, revised the mission and vision, and has evolved to the programs provided today. As the needs of the people and the community continue to change and evolve so will Human Services, Inc. - an agency committed to “People Helping People”.
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH:
By supporting your Local REALTORS® and Affiliates, you allow us to join with
Human Services Inc. in giving back to our community. Thank You!
Myrdica and her children were in an unhealthy relationship and needed a way out. After leaving home quickly, they found emergency shelter and support in Columbus. Once they were safe, they needed support to build finances, secure housing and start a new life in our community.
That's when our local nonprofits called on each other for help. We were able to do more for Myrdica and her family as a network than any one of us could do alone. Watch Myrdica tell her story below.
Thank you for giving Myrdica and her family the opportunity to thrive.
HUMAN SERVICES Inc. Programs
The Coaching For Success Initiative moves people forward to a better quality of life. Our efforts are to build the skills necessary in participants so they may grow in their own abilities to become independent. Coaching For Success places a strong focus in the areas of income, education and housing. Coaches and their team actively work with their participant to define their strengths and weaknesses and set short and long term goals. Moving out of poverty and into a different socioeconomic class requires a support team.
COACHING FOR SUCCESS INITIATIVE
The Energy Assistance Program is a program designed to provide financial assistance to low income households. Households are given a one-time benefit in order to maintain utility services during the winter heating season and the summer cooling season. Households must apply and meet income and program guidelines. Assistance types are: Regular Assistance, Crisis Assistance, Homeowners Benefit, and Summer Cool. All offices provide on-site regular and crisis application intake. Assistance is first come first serve.
ENERGY ASSISTANCE
Head Start and Early Head Start give you the encouragement you need. After all, you are the most important teacher in your child’s young life! Head Start and Early Head Start programs provide comprehensive services to enrolled children and their families, which include health, nutrition, social, and other services determined to be necessary by family needs assessments, in addition to education and cognitive development services. Programs’ services are designed to be responsive to each child and family’s ethnic, cultural, and linguistic heritage. Services are offered to families who have incomes below the federal poverty level.
HEAD START & EARLY HEAD START
Providing assistance to individuals or families falling under Categories 1-4 of the HEARTH Act. C1: Individual or family who lacks fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence. C2: Individuals or families who will imminently lose their primary nighttime residence. C3: Unaccompanied youth under 25 years, families with children and youth who do not qualify under the definition, but who are defined as homeless. C4: Any individual/family who is feeling, or is attempting to flee, domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, or other dangerous or life threatening condition.
HOMELESS PREVENTION
The Housing Choice Voucher Program comprises the majority of the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority’s Section 8 rental assistance programs. IHCDA administered vouchers help approximately 4,000 families’ pay their rent each month. Eligibility for the Housing Choice Voucher program is based on a family’s household income. The voucher covers a portion of the rent and the tenant is expected to pay the balance. The tenants’ share is an affordable percentage of their income and is generally calculated between 30 to 40 percent of their monthly-adjusted gross income for rent and utilities.
HOUSING CHOICE VOUCHER
Route 21 is a program that prepares pregnant and parenting teens and individuals up to the age of 21 for their lives as parents and adults. As case managers we address issues that are necessary and important to our clients, including education, health care, parenting, and networking. There are various services we provide for our clients and one of the first issues we face is education. We stress the importance of a HS education or GED Equivalent and provide options and resources to help them on their path to graduation.
ROUTE 21
BEED: The program’s goal is job creation, especially in the low-income sector. The program has active loans throughout H.S.I.’s service area: Bartholomew, Decatur, Jackson, Johnson and Shelby counties.
RBEG: The RBEG program focuses on micro-businesses of up to 50 employees. Large portions of Johnson County do not qualify as “rural.” Those potential clients should check first: they may be in an eligible area, or they may qualify for a BEED loan.
SMALL BUSINESS LOANS
WIC is a federally-funded nutrition program that provides food checks, nutrition counseling, and community referrals to pregnant, breastfeeding, and postpartum women, infants and children up to five years of age in Shelby, Decatur, Brown and surrounding Indiana counties. WIC is designed to improve fetal development, reduce the incidence of low birth weight and premature births, reduce maternal and childhood anemia, and promote breastfeeding.
WIC (Women, Infants, Children)
For more Information, visit www.hsi-indiana.com or call 812-372-8407