Catholic Charities Indianapolis Inc

The Refugee Resettlement and Employment and Immigration Legal Services programs together served 1,868 clients in 2025. The department provided basic needs, educational training and enrollment, employment placement, health services intensive case management, art therapy, legal counseling and more across the city. The Refugee Resettlement and Employment Service program served 319 clients. Resettlement Services provides initial services to refugees, asylees and entrants (as defined by the Office of Refugee Resettlement/DHS) who have fled their homeland, livelihoods, and belongings. The comprehensive services including housing, food, access to health care, transportation and education that includes school enrollment services, English as a second language (ESL) classes, employment, and orientation to a new culture. Orientation classes include presentations from local partners, like IMPD, Indiana Department of Health, local college, libraries and civic institutions. In addition, RIS offers Art Therapies (Art Movement, Music, Painting and Theater) to promote self-awareness and to develop coping skills and a sense of empowerment through processing their experiences. If further counseling is needed, clients are referred to internal and external counseling programs. Resettlement Services aims to reestablish a person's entire life. Employment Services provides wraparound services to develop a self-sufficiency pathway. Each adult and family receives a self-sufficiency plan to address education levels/goals, employment readiness skills, employment placement, and obstacles to employment (training, childcare, transportation, language and attire). Staff work with clients help them enter the workforce and become more self-sufficient. We offer job readiness classes, conducted at several sites around Indianapolis, in which our clients learn about American work culture, applying for jobs, successful interviewing and the transition into full-time employment, among other topics. We also assist clients with job placement, working with employers in and around Indianapolis so that each client has access to gainful employment. RIS staff have a strong relationship with employers to work through employment issues, including language and documentation. In addition, the program works closely with community providers, like the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles to ensure clients have state IDs and/or driver licenses. For those needing training on how to use public transportation, the program offers one-on-one bus training on the IndyGo system. The Refugee Immigration Legal Department served 1,549 clients. The Legal Services Department provides a robust variety of immigration legal representation services. These services include: Family-based Petitions, Consular Processing, Adjustment of Status, DACA Renewal, DACA Advanced Parole, Removal of Conditional Residence, Naturalization, Citizenship preparation, Fiance Visas, Work Permit Renewal, Green Card renewal, 131 Travel Document and re-entry permits, Affirmative Asylum, Refugee/Asylee based 730's, U Visas, TPS, SIJs, and FOIA requests.

Holy Family Shelter, an emergency shelter for homeless families, addresses the increasing demand for emergency shelter in Indianapolis and central Indiana by providing residential services designed to move homeless families to permanent housing and self-sufficiency. The emergency shelter provides a secure and supportive environment where families and their children in crisis receive essential resources, including food, shelter, and basic necessities, to begin their journey toward stability and healing. The cornerstone of the services is case management, through which comprehensive support assists families in setting goals and priorities, and in developing life skills such as budgeting, communication, parenting, stress management, and more as they begin their journey to permanent housing. As part of the shelter's services, assistance in the form of sustaining, support, and diversion is offered to homeless families who are unable to enter the shelter system due to a severe lack of emergency shelter space for families in Indianapolis. Additionally, these supportive services are offered to families who move into new housing from the emergency shelter but face complex challenges and persistent issues that can quickly lead to returning to homelessness if not supported. The combination of housing and comprehensive case management has proven to be an effective and cost-efficient way to help homeless families maintain permanent housing while living a more stable, productive life. It is the goal of Holy Family Shelter that all families attain permanent housing as quickly as possible (Housing First) and are then able to sustain and retain stability, self-sufficiency, and long-term permanent housing, avoiding a return to homelessness. Between January 1, 2025, and November 11, 2025, Holy Family Shelter served 158 families (588 individuals), including 206 adults and 382 children. In addition, 1,141 volunteers contributed their time and compassion to support families on their path toward stability and independence.