The Hoosier Veterans Assistance Foundation is renovating a two-story building near the
Central Library to serve as its new headquarters. The not-for-profit group, which now is located at the former Thomson Consumer
Electronics/RCA plant on the eastside, is spending about $1.9 million to buy and renovate the building at 964 N. Pennsylvania
St., said Ron Shelley, HVAF's director of operations. The 21,000-square-foot building will house offices, meeting rooms, a
community mental health clinic, showers and more than 20 sleeping rooms. The building previously was home to Midtown Mental
Health, Shelley said. The Foundation hopes to move in Feb. 26. What else is happening in this area?
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Welcome to Property Lines, Indy's source for neighborhood real estate news. Your host is Scott Olson, IBJ's real estate beat
reporter. Edited by Cory Schouten.
The Hoosier Veterans Assistance Foundation is renovating a two-story building near the
Central Library to serve as its new headquarters. The not-for-profit group, which now is located at the former Thomson Consumer
Electronics/RCA plant on the eastside, is spending about $1.9 million to buy and renovate the building at 964 N. Pennsylvania
St., said Ron Shelley, HVAF's director of operations. The 21,000-square-foot building will house offices, meeting rooms, a
community mental health clinic, showers and more than 20 sleeping rooms. The building previously was home to Midtown Mental
Health, Shelley said. The Foundation hopes to move in Feb. 26. What else is happening in this area?
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Saw the Indy Men's Chorus "Music of Gilbert & Sullivan" at the Indiana Historical Society on Sunday evening.
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Temporary workers are not "tools" they are people and companies that keep large amounts of temp staff are cheating.
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I miss having them around. I hope one of their stores is in the general Meridian/86th Street area. I will make good use of it.
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The Fringe! Plus, the simple fact that there are so many local faves in such close proximity to each other.
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I remenber, watching the toll road, being built, through South Bend, when I was 10 years old. I believe, back then that it was estimated, that the toll road, would be paid for in 20 years and then it would be free. I am now 71, what happened? Since the power is in the people, by that, I mean that, we the people are in total control of everything. I, suggest that no one ever use the toll road again, let it go broke. We the people can control the price of everything, from groceries to gas, if we would just do it. If we don't pay the asking price, the sellers will lower the price and if we wait awhile, they will lower the price to what we accept as reasonable. I would like to know why a highway like interstate 94, is so well maintained, a much better highway, than the toll road, but has no tolls. I would also like to know why, a sitting governor, with a term limit, maximum of eight years, can lease, public property, for 75 years. Even though I have transponders in both of my trucks and will not be affected by the increase, I have been and will contine to avoid using the toll road. I make many trips from northern Indiana to Chicago, every year, and I prefer the better highway, I94!
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Seems to me that developers are likely to look elsewhere if there is a mental health clinic and shelter just a block or two away. I'm not saying the project isn't necessary, but just that there might be better locales that aren't poised for re-birth.
So here's one person who WOULD want it in his backyard.
Get a life, it’s Indianapolis not soho…..
Of course every city has its homeless shelters, its called reality, but this might not be a good location for it. Indianapolis is a real city Bob, its not as big or busy as those cities obviously(and comparing it with them is like comparing oranges and apples) but it is a city( a metro of 2000'000!).
Look, a non-profit is a bad neighbor in a downtown NOT because of the crowd it attracts as much as the fact that their boards don't necessarily make economic decisions (stay or go) on the same economic principles as for-profits. Sometimes history and named gifts are more important deciding factors. I would argue that in sentimental attachment to buildings, non-profit directors are shirking their fiduciary responsibilities as well as their moral responsibilities.
Let me explain further:
Non-profits tend to stay embedded in a place (or move to a place) even when market signals are telling less-desirable for-profit businesses (wholesale distribution, scrapyards, etc.) to move out because land is too valuable to devote to that use. There are no factories, no scrapyards and precious few wholesale businesses left downtown. Why is downtown still full of social-service agencies who moved there when rents and building values were low, now that there are far fewer low-income residents to serve inside the inner loop?
The non-profits could unlock capital and exemplify their social mission by moving to where people need them...and where land and buildings are now cheap. Horizon House, Good News Ministries, the Damien Center, and the Shepherd Center are all between I-65 and Sherman Drive along the Washington St. Corridor, just south of the former RCA plant (itself a subject of a previous blog post). That part of town NEEDS help (as do many of its residents) and non-profit agencies can be the pioneers by buying and reclaiming vacant and under-utilized space, bringing adaptive reuse and increased activity and vitality in the neighborhood.
It's my backyard, and it would be way better than what we've got. So don't hang the NIMBY tag on me...I WANT the non-profits to come east from downtown.
The issue here isn't whether the service is worthwhile or necessary (it definitely is), or whether the people who seek service deserve help (they definitely do). The issue (for me, anyway) is solely location and I believe such service organizations can do far more good in my backyard where people need the services.
There is every possibility that this agency won't impact additional growth/revitalization activities in that area. If the area is otherwise desirable, the growth will come.
Yeah I'm curious about that too.