WTHR TV in Indianapolis featured the story of Gary and Carole Goshorn and spoke with Christina Rajanayakam of Thrive Alliance regarding caring for those with Dementia during these difficult times. Video and story is linked HERE.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE—March 18, 2020
CONTACT: Sue Lamborn, 812.372.6918. [email protected]

Thrive Alliance announces updated actions related to COVID-19

To prevent the spread of COVID-19 among older adults and people with disabilities, as well as our employees, associates and families, Thrive Alliance announces the following actions:

• Office closure: Thrive Alliance is open for business; however all of our offices are closed to public until further notice in compliance with guidance provided by local, state and federal government officials.
• In-person meetings: All in-person meetings are canceled until further notice, including walk-in appointments.
• Care Management: The state of Indiana has approved that client assessments may be conducted by phone rather than in person. While care managers will not be in client homes, in-person appointments are being conducted by phone.
• Aging & Disability Resource Center: Our call center staff members are still answering phones and are able to help callers assess existing or anticipated long-term care needs for themselves or a loved one.
• Nutrition: Thrive Alliance congregate meal sites have been closed per directions from the Indiana Department of Health until further notice.
• Outreach Activities and Events: All Thrive Alliance outreach events scheduled during March and April are being cancelled or postponed until further notice. We will assess the need to make any changes to activities and events schedule beyond that time frame over the intervening weeks. Dementia Friends in-person training sessions throughout the state are suspended. All Thrive Alliance Wellness classes are suspended until further notice.

These policies will begin immediately and remain in effect until further notice.

For information, call (866) 644-6407 (toll free) or go online at www.thrive-alliance.org.

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Guided by the vision that everyone has the opportunity to live a secure, engaged and independent life, our mission at Thrive Alliance is to improve the quality of life and health for people at risk of losing their independence.

We help people get the right information, resources and support needed to live as independently as possible.  Our network of programs focuses on issues related to affordable housing, caregiver support and services, nutrition and wellness programs, transportation and accessibility services, as well as fostering community-wide support for aging related issues. We serve as Indiana’s Agency on Aging for Bartholomew, Brown, Decatur, Jackson and Jennings counties.

Acting in accordance with recent guidelines from Indiana Department of Health officials regarding COVID-19 precautions, Thrive Alliance will temporarily suspend its on-site meal services beginning Monday, March 16, 2020 until further notice. The Speaker’s Series planned for the sites during the month of March has been cancelled.

Closed Thrive Alliance congregate meal site locations include:
Bartholomew County
Armory Apartments, 646 Franklin Street, Columbus
R. Anderson Community Center, 421 McClure Road, Columbus

Brown County
Willow Manor, 72 Willow Street, Nashville

Decatur County
Greensburg Adult Center, 905 East Main Street, Greensburg

Jackson County
Crothersville Senior Center, 114 East Main Street, Crothersville
Seymour Community Center, 107 South, Chestnut Street, Seymour

Jennings County
North Vernon Senior Housing, 45 Henry Street, North Vernon

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Guided by the vision that everyone has the opportunity to live a secure, engaged and independent life, our mission at Thrive Alliance is to improve the quality of life and health for people at risk of losing their independence.

We help people get the right information, resources and support needed to live as independently as possible.  Our network of programs focuses on issues related to affordable housing, caregiver support and services, nutrition and wellness programs, transportation and accessibility services, as well as fostering community-wide support for aging related issues. We serve as Indiana’s Agency on Aging for Bartholomew, Brown, Decatur, Jackson and Jennings counties.

The Foster (or Classroom) Grandparent program of Bartholomew, Brown, Decatur, Jackson and Jennings counties is currently recruiting new participants. Signs are going up throughout the area near schools where the program is active. Pictured below are recruitment signs at Lillian Schmitt Elementary in Columbus and Scipio Elementary in Jennings County.

Eligible adults serve in public and private school classrooms and Head Start Centers across five Indiana counties (Bartholomew, Brown, Decatur, Jackson, and Jennings).  Classroom Grandparents must be at least 55 years of age, pass a criminal history check, and meet income eligibility guidelines. Serving with Foster Grandparents provides seniors the opportunity to share their lifetime of experiences, talents, learning, wisdom and interest in a one-on-one situation. Foster Grandparents in southeastern Indiana operates in partnership with Thrive Alliance.

Marci DeBock, Foster Grandparent Director said, “We are always interested in recruiting new participants in the program. We are making a special push right now to ensure we have a full roster of Classroom Participants in 2020 to meet the many requests we receive from the schools.”

Anyone interested in learning more about becoming Foster Grandparent, may visit www.fostergrandparensthrive.org or call 812-372-6918 and ask for Foster Grandparents.

Meeting the Need for Affordable Housing: 30 Years of Thrive Alliance Housing Services

30 year anniversary event held on January 29

[Columbus, IN] (January 30, 2020) –

Approximately 130 people attended an event at the Commons in Columbus on January 29 to kick off a year of celebrating the thirtieth anniversary of Thrive Alliance Housing Services (formerly Housing Partnerships, Inc.).

Thrive Alliance executive director, Mark Lindenlaub, began the evening with an overview of the organization’s first 30 years of building affordable housing in Columbus and the surrounding region. He remarked that the four original guiding principles of the organization – love your neighbor, create opportunities, encourage personal responsibility, and make a lasting impact – continue to guide their work. He emphasized the collaborative nature of Thrive Alliance’s housing efforts and credited its success to support from client families, volunteers, neighborhoods, and the overall community, as well as public and private investment in projects. Overall, Thrive Alliance has built 485 new affordable homes in its service area.

Jacob Sipe, executive director of the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority, followed Lindenlaub’s remarks with a presentation entitled: “Connecting the Housing Dots.” Sipe recognized Thrive Alliance’s efforts in addressing a statewide and nationwide need for affordable housing. He illustrated the impact of the lack of truly affordable housing on population health. “Research continues to confirm that unmet social needs are associated with higher rates of hospital admissions, readmissions and emergency use,” Sipe said. “Supportive housing has been shown to decrease Medicaid cost by up to 67 percent,” he added.

Sipe pointed out that recent multi-million dollar investments in affordable housing by major health insurance companies indicate how much this particular social determinant of health is impacting health care costs.

Sipe also showed how the true cost of affordable housing lies in more than just having a roof over one’s head. “Statistics show that only 26 percent of U.S. neighborhoods are affordable when transportation costs are combined with housing costs,” he said.

Lindenlaub provided a preview of Thrive Alliance’s plans throughout 2020, including completing three rental houses currently under construction, building three new homes in the downtown neighborhood to sell to first-time home buyers, building a fourth house to serve the needs of a veteran household, and breaking ground Crossroads Village, a 64-resident, senior housing complex, in Seymour.

Community leader and long-time Thrive Alliance supporter, Jesse Brand, closed out the evening by leading the crowd in a toast congratulating Thrive Alliance Housing Services on its thirtieth anniversary and wishing it continued success for the next 30 years.

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Guided by the vision that everyone has the opportunity to live a secure, engaged and independent life, our mission at Thrive Alliance is to improve the quality of life and health for people at risk of losing their independence.

We help people get the right information, resources and support needed to live as independently as possible.  Our network of programs focuses on issues related to affordable housing, caregiver support and services, nutrition and wellness programs, transportation and accessibility services, as well as fostering community-wide support for aging related issues. We serve as Indiana’s Agency on Aging for Bartholomew, Brown, Decatur, Jackson and Jennings counties.

The Republic in Columbus recently published an article highlighting the 30th anniversary of Thrive Alliance’s Housing Services, formerly, Housing Partnerships, Inc. The article can be found at this link: http://www.therepublic.com/2020/01/25/home_sweet_homes_thrive_alliance_housing_services_marks_30_years_of_housing_help/?fbclid=IwAR2BMhX5emROQQWR353_OzDudgy4zGgGQHLA_0a8BJ_XpjikkwtlFCAw0HQ

Thrive Alliance to Celebrate 30 Years of Commitment to Creating More Affordable Housing

Housing Partnerships, Inc. started renovating and building homes in 1990

[Columbus, IN] (January 15, 2020) –

Thrive Alliance will mark its 30^th year of involvement in building affordable housing in 2020.

A celebration to kick-off Thrive Alliance’s 30-year anniversary will be held at The Commons on Wednesday, January 29, 2020 with a meet-and-greet beginning at 5:30 p.m. and a program from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

J. Jacob Sipe, executive director of the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority will be speaking on the importance to all communities of developers of safe and affordable housing similar to Thrive Alliance. Mark Lindenlaub, executive director of Thrive Alliance will review the past 30 years and offer glimpses into Thrive Alliance’s future.

In its 30 years of existence, Thrive Alliance Housing Services has created a total of 555 living units, renovated 230 existing homes, provided management for 105 rental homes, sold 106 houses to first-time home buyers, built 43 houses on empty lots in established neighborhoods and built or renovated 79 homes in the Lincoln-Central (downtown Columbus) neighborhood.

Under the name of Housing Partnerships, Inc., the organization was conceived in June 1989 by an adult Sunday school class at First Presbyterian Church. This group was looking for a tangible way to express their belief that they were blessed to be a blessing to others. They quickly discovered that there was a large unmet need for decent, safe, affordable housing for working families. As a pilot project, they reroofed and repaired the exterior of a house owned by an elderly woman in the church neighborhood who couldn’t afford the repairs necessary to make her house weather tight.

Encouraged by this early success, Housing Partnerships was incorporated as a not-for-profit organization in 1990 to provide a solid base for growth. First Presbyterian Church provided a startup grant, and seven other churches became Housing Partnerships members and added to our initial funding. A Home Ownership Program was developed, and the first house was purchased and renovated by 180 volunteers.

The public is invited to attend the 30^th anniversary celebration, with RSVP required. Interested parties can sign up via the Thrive Alliance Facebook page. For more information, email [email protected] or call 812-372-6918.

Guided by the vision that everyone has the opportunity to live a secure, engaged and independent life, our mission at Thrive Alliance is to improve the quality of life and health for people at risk of losing their independence.

We help people get the right information, resources and support needed to live as independently as possible.  Our network of programs focuses on issues related to affordable housing, caregiver support and services, nutrition and wellness programs, transportation and accessibility services, as well as fostering community-wide support for aging related issues. We serve as Indiana’s Agency on Aging for Bartholomew, Brown, Decatur, Jackson and Jennings counties.