(INDIANAPOLIS) – An Indianapolis housing program focusing on the youngest adults is approaching its first anniversary.
Pando Aspen Grove opened last July, with 30 single-bedroom apartments for people age 18-to-24. Lutheran Child and Family Services program manager Angel Wallace says the program focuses on young adults at risk of homelessness, especially those who have aged out of Indiana’s child welfare system and now need a place to live on their own.
The complex offers residents a variety of support services, from mental health resources to help in earning a GED. Wallace says those services can extend to driving residents to job interviews, and to lessons in so-called “soft skills” like balancing a checkbook.
The complex sets a sliding scale for rent, starting at $50 a month.
There’s no specific limit on how long residents can stay, but Wallace says the goal is to get people to where they can be self-sufficient without a need for subsidized housing.
The complex receives support from the city’s $4 million Housing to Recovery Fund, which is scheduled to expand over the next few years to $12 million.
Pando Aspen Grove plans a first-anniversary open house celebration July 28.
