A Bold Vision for Care and Community in Indianapolis
Damien Center is Indiana’s oldest and largest HIV/AIDS service organization. It was established in 1987 in response to the local AIDS crisis with the goal of creating a coordinated community response by integrating various services within one facility.
“Originally, it was a non-clinical service site that offered things like case management, food services, housing assistance, and mental health services. And then over time, there was a real component missing, and that was medical care,” explains Alan Witchey, President and CEO of Damien Center.
“Many of our patients are low-income, and they were struggling with housing instability and food insecurity on top of trying to navigate the health care system. And so, we made this bold choice to open a medical clinic, which has since evolved into a primary care clinic. And anybody can come in the doors” adds Witchey.
Being inclusive in the community also means needing to be expansive. As Damien Center increased the number of clients to over 8,000 per year, Witchey and team realized they needed much more space. They envisioned a new 56,000 square foot building adjacent to their long-term and increasingly cramped headquarters, that could not only house but expand and improve their programs with the potential to grow and serve over 15,000 people.
We started looking for an investment partner and started talking to big banks, but it felt very impersonal and structured. Then we met Reinvestment Fund and immediately they were excited about who we are and wanted us to be successful. That felt exactly right.
Alan Witchey, President and CEO of Damien Center
The challenge was how to raise the $33.1 million of capital to build the comprehensive services facility they call Mosaic. Witchey and team knew that finding the ideal investment partners was crucial to achieving their objective.
“We started looking for an investment partner and started talking to big banks, but it felt very impersonal and structured. Then we met Reinvestment Fund and immediately they were excited about who we are and wanted us to be successful. That felt exactly right,” remembers Witchey.
Reinvestment Fund, a mission-driven community development financial institution (CDFI) that uses financial and analytical tools to ensure people in communities across the country have access to opportunities, became a key investment partner. The financing, Reinvestment Fund’s first health care deal in Indiana, reflects the organization’s commitment to providing capital for projects that will build strong, healthy, and more equitable communities.
The development of the project brings a state-of-the-art health and social services facility to Indianapolis. The new headquarters will enable expanded access to HIV services, the location itself will help revitalize a distressed area of the city, and the project will generate construction and permanent jobs in the nonprofit health services sector.
The lobby of the Mosaic building is warm and welcoming.
Throughout the center there are design elements to help people feel welcome, comfortable, and safe as they meet with providers.
“We need partners like Reinvestment Fund to make it happen. They’ve been amazing, coming to visit the site more than once before it officially opened. We wouldn’t be able to do it without them,” reflects Witchey.
With the new headquarters, Witchey and his team are proud to continue to offer the community what they need in not just a state-of-the-art facility, but also a place where they feel welcome, comfortable, and safe.
“What we hear most is that the Damien Center acts like a home or a second home for people. They can get support and care in one place. And there isn’t anywhere else in our city that can do that,” Witchey emphasized.
Lastly, big thanks to our partners at Blue Hub Capital and Low Income Investment Fund, in making this project possible. For more details, please see the press release.