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History

THE EARLY YEARS

In 1993, Frank Hagaman, along with friends William Conner, Dee Garrett, Todd Mozingo and Robert Rhodehamel, Jr., sought to bring the concept of supportive housing to Indianapolis with the founding of Partners In Housing.  Frank drew on his experience in banking, leveraging historical and low-income tax credits to rehab abandoned properties that now house formerly homeless and extremely low-income citizens of Indianapolis.  He went on to become the organization’s first Executive Director, continuing in that capacity until 2011.

Partners' first project, The Burton Apartments, located at 821 North Pennsylvania Street in downtown Indianapolis, was rehabilitated in 1995 and opened in June 1996 with 23 efficiency apartments which housed 23 individuals in immediate need of housing and social services.  The Burton was built in 1919 and is among the oldest apartment houses in the city.  It was abandoned in the mid-1980s and quickly deteriorated.  The Burton’s owner hoped to demolish the building when Partners In Housing saw the potential to create Indianapolis’ first supportive housing. 

In January 1998, Partners broke ground on the rehabilitation of what would become (and still remains) our signature property, the Blue Triangle Residence Hall.  Built for the YWCA in 1924, the Blue Triangle was closed in 1971 and remained abandoned for 27 years until Partners rescued the building.  It opened in December of 1998, offering up 96 new single units of supportive housing to Indianapolis’ most needy.

THE PRESENT & FUTURE

Over the last 14 years, Partners has rescued and rehabbed 9 other properties, providing a total of 588 supportive housing units, which houses and serves over 700 people every day, making Partners In Housing by far the largest and oldest developer of this kind of housing in Indianapolis.

In October 2011, Partners entered a new era with the hiring of Cynthia Shaffer, only the second Executive Director in the organization’s history.  Many changes are taking place that will secure the future of Partners, the future of our current properties and those yet to be developed, and most importantly, the future of the residents we serve.  The organization is in the process of strategic planning that will solidify the mission and the agency's capability to serve the residents.  2012 will see many changes, both external and internal, for Partners In Housing, including the demolition of The Orleans, which will be rebuilt in two phases, one in each 2013 and 2014.  This property will be renamed Shortridge Park, and will constitute Partners’ first new-build project.