INDIANAPOLIS – “Where Fresh Starts Begin,” Coburn Place’s new 2024-2027 strategic plan, is designed to ensure survivors of domestic violence in the program come away with the strength and confidence to move their futures forward. The whole-family focus also makes sure their children are equipped to break the cycle of violence for their families.
Partners and supporters guided this work at every stage, and survivors spoke to what was working well, what wasn’t, and what they needed.
The plan has four goals:
• Reimagine and evolve survivor-centered services
• Expand safe and secure housing
• Inspire an inclusive and effective team
• Cultivate a sustainable community of support
At the heart of the plan is trauma-informed care and a whole-family approach where survivors are empowered to take control of their healing and define their paths forward. Alongside survivors, Coburn Place is creating the tools they need to recover and increase their self-efficacy and resilience. The “Coburn Way” acknowledges trauma and its effects on the brain, and supports both the child and the parent, believing children are the ones who will break the cycle of domestic violence in their families for generations.
As Indianapolis grapples with skyrocketing rates of domestic violence and a lack of affordable housing, 500 households on any given night are experiencing homelessness due to domestic violence.
Coburn Place has two housing options for survivors – transitional housing in 35 on-site apartments where survivors can live rent- and utility-free and, for survivors with fewer safety barriers, housing in the community in self-selected units. Coburn Place believes in Housing First: Housing is a human right, and there should be very few barriers to accessing it. The organization is seeking partnerships to expand the number of housing units co-located with services. The plan also calls for working with partner housing organizations and the city to improve the community-based housing (rapid rehousing) program to work better for survivors of domestic violence and reduce Black homelessness.