The January Lunch & Learn attendance took a hit from COVID and the flu bug, but the souls that ventured out were rewarded with an enthusiastic presentation by Ellen Snyder, Project manager for Purposeful Design.
So, what is Purposeful Design you ask? They are a God-centered group engaged in the fight against poverty by enabling men to learn wood and metal working skills that will allow them to become free of homelessness, addiction, and incarceration.
Working at Wheeler Mission, David Palmer saw men wanting to better themselves but with no avenue to success. He prayed to God for direction and was inspired to begin simple craft projects with these men. With encouragement, counseling, addiction support and mentoring, the men moved on to more complex projects and Purposeful Design developed into a furniture building organization.
Purposeful Design is a non-profit, 501 3c organization located in the Brookside Industrial Park near the intersection of 16th Street and Serman Drive on the eastside of Indianapolis. They have a 30,000 square foot building with commercial quality woodworking machinery, much of which was donated by the Festool Company.
Men in the program mostly come through referrals from Wheeler Mission, Good News Ministries, and other community centers working with the needs of the homeless and addicted. Each man starts in a two-week apprentice training program learning basic woodworking skills to determine if they want to continue with the full program. Most men stay eight months but can stay as long as eighteen months. Along with woodworking skills, each day has Bible readings and prayer time (10:15 to 10:45 AM Monday – Thursday), and learning everyday skills like balancing a checkbook, reading to their children, dealing rationally with family problems, etc.
In their eight years, Purposeful Design has employed 178 men building fine furniture for 550 clients. The two million dollars in wages paid to date have generated $194,000 in taxes paid plus it avoided an estimated 3.8 million dollars that society would have paid to deal with the homelessness and addiction of these men.
Statistically, the program serves 50% non-white men, 75% of which were previously unemployed, 69% served time, 60% were homeless, and 100% were living below the poverty level.
In 2020, Purposeful Design served 30 men; in 2021 they serviced 33 men; in 2022 they plan to serve 50 men; they have a goal to serve 100 men per year within the next couple of years. Their long-term goal is to replicate this program in then other cities across the country. Prayers for their success are welcomed!
Submitted by Lamont Cranston. (AKA ?)
Click here and here to see Purposeful Design's brochures.
Photos of the event
Purposeful Design Photo Gallery
