New housing project offers stability for foster youth aging out of care

A new housing development on Indianapolis’ near north side will offer a lifeline to young adults exiting the foster care system — a group at risk of homelessness and housing instability.

Firefly Children & Family Alliance broke ground on 21Flats, a $5.3 million public and private funded apartment project at 2115 Central Ave. When the remodel of an existing building is completed in summer 2026, it will offer 17 one-bedroom units to people ages 18 to 23 transitioning out of foster care. 

“This is something that we could do to help step into that space and try to help create a solution to a problem that we see with the population that we have a lot of experience serving,” said Tina Cloer, Firefly’s CEO, at a Friday groundbreaking ceremony.

Residents will have access to on-site support services provided by Firefly, including case management, financial literacy training, mental health care and help with education and job placement.

The 11,425-square-foot building will also include a community kitchen, laundry room, fitness space, bike storage and 23 on-site parking spaces.

Cloer said housing has become the single biggest struggle for the families they serve.

Between a quarter and a third of youth and young adults experiencing homelessness had a history of foster care, according to Chapin Hall, a policy research institute at the University of Chicago.

In Indiana, housing stability among former foster youth has worsened over time, with nearly two-thirds lacking secure housing at a critical early adulthood milestone. Only 65% of Indiana foster youth reported having stable housing by age 21 in 2021, according to a report from Annie E. Casey Foundation. That was a drop of six percentage points from the previous two years. 

The Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority is a partner in the project. Matt Rayburn, deputy executive director at IHCDA, said the agency sees the project as part of a larger effort to prove that supportive housing works for this vulnerable population.

21Flats is “really helping us to strengthen the community here in Indianapolis to provide housing opportunities for a vulnerable population that is so often overlooked in other housing programs,” Rayburn said. 

Funding for 21Flats comes from a mix of public and private sources, including the IHCDA, United Way of Central Indiana, the Herbert Simon Foundation and the Firefly Foundation. 

Firefly, founded in 1851 as the Children’s Bureau, is one of Marion County’s oldest nonprofits.

Eric Weddle is WFYI's education team editor. Contact Eric at eweddle@wfyi.org or follow him on X at @ericweddle.