United Way of Central Indiana (UWCI) announced it has awarded $171,384 in COVID-19 relief to human service organizations focusing their efforts on housing and food insecurity in Putnam County. 

These grants were made possible through the generosity of individual and corporate donors, as well as a generous grant from a sponsored project of Indiana United Ways, with funding provided by Lilly Endowment Inc. 

This latest round of grants builds on the ongoing COVID-19 relief efforts by the United Way, which has now totaled $409,717 in Putnam County.  

A local workgroup was established to identify needs within the community and determine organizations who were currently meeting those needs. The looming end to the eviction moratorium and the expiration of unemployment benefits were two contributing factors in the workgroup focusing on housing and food insecurity during this sixth round of COVID funding for Putnam County.  

“We are pleased to support these local nonprofits who continue to meet the needs of Putnam County residents during the pandemic,” said Chris Flegal, UWCI Community Relations Director. “United Way is committed to making sure families are supported through these challenging times as we continue to monitor the situation locally and mobilize resources for the greater good.” 

While the latest United Way grants are focused specifically on food insecurity and housing, earlier rounds of funding supported everything from PPE & sanitary supplies, transportation, mental & physical health, childhood education & well-being, food insecurity, housing, utilities, senior care, legal services, victims of domestic violence, and legal services. 

“We are honored to receive funding from United Way of Central Indiana,” said Lea Durbin, Executive Director of Beyond Homeless. “This grant will help us increase our efforts to provide safe and secure housing to women and children who’ve recently found themselves homeless, provide utility and other housing-related assistance to families so they can stay in their home and not end up in further crisis, as well as support our work in establishing our Putnam County’s first homeless shelter for men.” 

Among the recipients:

Putnam County Pantry Coalition, $50,000? 

Family Support Services of West Central Indiana / 360 Coalition, $50,000? 

Beyond Homeless, $50,000? 

Patty Pack Program, $18,000? 

Putnam County Senior Center, $3,384?