UPDATE: On July 31, Recorder staff learned that Forest Manor administrators were seeking buyers for some of their service vehicles and the center’s physical location at 5603 E 38th St, Indianapolis, IN 46218. “We are looking at selling assets. The building doesn’t meet our needs and the vehicles bring huge expenses,” said Harrison via email. “There are still lots of options for an FMMSC without these assets, especially with current technology and the need to be highly accessible to our people.”
After more than four decades of service to the Indianapolis community, Forest Manor Multi-Service Center will shutter its doors Aug.1.
Following the announcement last week, many area residents and service recipients were shocked and looking for answers.
Tanisha Webster frequented Forest Manor in her youth, and when she needed child care for her third grade son Skylar, the center was her provider of choice. “The price is reasonable for a single parent, and I also trust them with my son,” she said. Webster has been sending Skylar to Forest Manor for summer camp and before- and after-school care since he was in kindergarten.
“The program means a lot, so now I’m in awe,” she said, remarking that she first found out about the closure while watching a television news broadcast. “I had to do a double take, like, Forest Manor? I know a lot of people who take their kids there and it’s a big convenience, and now it’s taken away from us.”
As far as what she’ll do next week, Webster is still unsure. “They haven’t gave us a chance to really think about anything. …They didn’t give us a chance to speak on how we felt about it.”
Webster is not alone. Currently, a couple hundred 46218 and surrounding-area residents rely on services from Forest Manor, such as child care, emergency assistance and other resources. Four full-time employees will also be out of work when the center closes.
Markeeta Hutchinson first came to Forest Manor as a client in 2008. She had recently given birth to her first son and participated in the center’s parenting courses, where she learned to budget and use coupons, among other skills. Through Forest Manor, she was able to move into her first apartment, and they paid her rent for eight months. When she was finishing her last semester of college, Hutchinson interned at Forest Manor and last year got hired as the Family Development Director. The 29-year-old mother of two young boys sees the center as a home away from home.
“It is hitting me emotionally. I know this place and the people, and I know all the hard work we put in. I know my community, and I know this is a place they really need,” she said.
Regina Marsh, the center’s past executive director, also had an emotional reaction to the news.
“I was devastated, angry, hurt and upset,” Marsh said. “I put two decades of my life into this organization … hoping to leave a legacy in that community. Had I known this was going to happen, I would have stayed. … I would have went down with the ship.”
Marsh remarked that during her tenure, keeping Forest Manor afloat was a constant battle.
“It was always a struggle to keep the doors open and fight with funders on top of trying to help our people. I don’t believe funders are funding all of the nonprofits at the level we need it to succeed,” said Marsh. “But, I touched people, changed lives and I believe our organization was the best at doing it.”
Dana Harrison, interim director, said making sure community members are taken care of is the top priority for her and her team. When asked how this closure came to be, Harrison was careful to note that there is no silver bullet or straw that broke the camel’s back. The issues that led to the decision have been in the making for some time.
“Nonprofits are complicated. In this situation, there has not been any one singular event that has gotten us to this moment. There have been a multitude of changes that have occurred,” she said. Among those changes, Harrison cited the evolution over the past decade of conversations on workforce development and self-sufficiency, the rise in prominence of charter schools over public schools, the land-locked constraints of the physical location of the building and lack of adequate parking as significant challenges.
Sarah Butler, Forest Manor’s board president, said financial sustainability has been a longstanding concern.
“The funding community, as far as I’ve been involved, has been supportive, but there’s always shifts and they move their money to different organizations they feel are serving the community, and we just couldn’t keep up with some of the things that were going on. It’s not that their confidence was gone in us, we just weren’t receiving as much funding.”
According to the organization’s 990 tax forms, contributions have fluctuated over the past years. In 2015, contributions, which made up more than 70 percent of revenue, were just over $480,000. In 2014, that number surpassed $750,000. Two years before that, contributions were nearly a million dollars.
“I think the role of community centers are changing,” said Butler. “As time has gone on and resources have changed, it just became a question as what can we do best to serve the community in a continuous fashion.”
As it stands, the answer for Forest Manor is to cease operations, at least temporarily. There are no details currently on how long the closure might last, but Harrison said she feels taking a pause was “the brave thing to do.”
“I know everyone has done their very best to try and do right by the community. This is such a bittersweet moment … everyone knows that taking this pause will show us the right next steps.”
Hutchinson, Harrison and others said they are working diligently with other service providers to identify solutions for residents.
“I currently work with the senior citizens, so that’s really big for us. Making sure they’re getting their meals every day, making sure that they have people to talk to, because it’s about them socializing. A lot of them live by themselves,” said Hutchison. Her big project is finding a place nearby that can fulfill the need.
“I don’t think this is the end of us. I think it will come back,” she said. “Forest Manor has been here for so long, I don’t see it being one of those things that just disappears.”
At Recorder press time, no definitive information on alternative service providers was available. Visit fmmsc.org for updates.
Forest Manor Multi-Service Center
