Middle Way House receives $800K in grant money

Middle Way House received two grants totaling about $800,000 Thursday to help the organization move forward in developing independence.\nThe organization, which has the mission to end violence in the lives of women and children, plans to use the grant money for several different projects.\nSome of the grant money will go toward the New Wings Development Project, which Middle Way House Executive Director Toby Strout said is "designed to achieve independence for the agency and to provide more opportunities for women and children." \nGrant money will also go toward turning the old Coca-Cola bottling plant, 318 S. Washington St., into Middle Way's new residency along with consolidating its Food Works kitchens to one location.\nFood Works is a full-service catering business Middle Way owns and operates that strives to provide nutritional food care to children and caterers in the community.\nThe Federal Home Loan Bank, through its affordable housing program, awarded $500,000 to the organization, Strout said. She said this money will contribute to replacing the emergency shelter to construct a new one, in addition to creating six units of affordable housing near the new emergency shelter.\nFifth Third Bank sponsored Middle Way's application.\nThe U.S. Department of Agriculture awarded the grant of about $280,000. Approximately $133,000 will go toward supporting the consolidation of the two Food Works kitchens into one kitchen at the old Coca-Cola plant. \nMiddle Way Food Works is also working with a group of organizations in the community to create a secure food system, Strout said.\nLocal growers will be able to sell their produce to Middle Way. The kitchen will also allow local entrepreneurs to use it for their own projects. \nThe Local Growers Guild, Bloomingfoods, Mother Hubbard's Cupboard, the city of Bloomington, Hoosier Hills Food Bank, Center for Sustainable Living, Monroe County Extension Service and SEED Corporation are among the nine participants in developing the community food project for Food Works and the grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. \nAs Strout mentioned, the new Food Works will also help provide jobs to the women in the shelter.\n"Having this kitchen is an expanded opportunity," she said.\nSince Middle Way's inception, the agency has strived to create meaningful alternatives to those who live with violence, and the New Wings Development Project is crucial to Middle Way's mission, according to a Middle Way House news release.\n"The cost associated with making a temporary facility appropriate to the needs of abused women is so high, it is not worth contemplating, especially as the space available in the current shelter is inadequate to meet the demand," Strout said in the news release.\nIn the end, Strout said the overall goal is always to build independence. Middle Way has always made this a goal in respect to its clients by encouraging them to use their strengths to become independent, she said.\nWhile the needs of developing independence in clients are met, Middle Way moves toward that goal itself. \nMiddle Way has relied on government grants to help, but Strout said there is too much fluctuation in the amount received from such grants, and it is not always safe to rely on money from the government because of the fickleness of politics. \nStrout said Middle Way continues to apply for these government grants, but it hopes to turn away from that form of funding.