Fortify Life

What Fortify Life does

Fortify Life is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded and led by Jason and Joann Sweitzer (who are also principals of the Jason and Joann Sweitzer Family Foundation, EIN 85-3179031), headquartered in Auburn, Indiana and operating entirely within rural DeKalb County and Northeast Indiana. The organization's portfolio is structured as a continuum of care addressing homelessness, hunger, and poverty: it runs Fortify Home, a 24-family-capacity transitional housing facility in Auburn providing shelter and wraparound case management; Fortify Living, an in-development supportive housing project planned for ~40 units across four phases; Fortify Play, a forthcoming community playground and splash pad at Memorial Park; the Hunger Relief Alliance of DeKalb County, a county-wide food insecurity coordination network; the DeKalb County Eviction Clinic for upstream prevention; and education initiatives including the Applying Empathy workshop and The Rural Disparity Project.

The organization operates no proprietary technology platform; service delivery is physical and human-intensive, supported by a small staff of roughly 8 named team members (Director of Operations, Community Engagement Manager, Resource Advocate, Development, Fortify Home Manager) plus an active volunteer base. Programmatic differentiation rests on integration depth with civic, financial, faith, and corporate stakeholders in DeKalb County rather than on technology or process IP.

Financially, Fortify Life does not generate revenue in the commercial sense; all services are provided free of charge. Funding flows from individual donations (including the tiered Adopt A Room program at $1,000–$10,000), institutional grants (most notably a $600,000 Federal Home Loan Bank of Indianapolis / Community State Bank grant for Fortify Home expansion), corporate in-kind and sponsorship support (Van's Home Center, FXI-Auburn, IHCDA Creating Places matching), and pass-through partnerships with United Way of DeKalb County and the Community Foundation of DeKalb County. GTM is community-led and event-driven: an annual Auburn-Opoly gala, the Fortify Play 5K, Hunger Relief Alliance monthly meetings, and a Resource Hotline (260-226-8836) function as both engagement and fundraising channels, with web, social, email, and earned media (e.g., Inside Indiana Business) supporting top-of-funnel awareness.

Name

Fortify Life

Legal name

Fortify Life

Website

https://fortifylife.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Fortify Life is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in Auburn, Indiana delivering a continuum of care — transitional housing (Fortify Home), in-development supportive housing (Fortify Living), a community playground/splash pad (Fortify Play), hunger-relief coordination, eviction prevention, and poverty education — for individuals and families experiencing homelessness and economic hardship in rural DeKalb County.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Homelessness and Transitional Housing Services

NAICS

Temporary Shelters (624221), Community Housing Services (62422), Community Food Services (624210)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Housing Assistance & Homeless Services (BPAGAEAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Affordable Housing & Community Development (Housing, Community Land Trusts) (BPAGALAC)

Keywords

• Transitional housing services
• Homeless shelter programs
• Food insecurity relief
• Eviction prevention services
• Community nonprofit support

Headquarters

HQ city

Auburn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Individual donors contribute through various programs including Adopt A Room (ranging from $1,000 to $10,000 per room), one-time donations, Amazon Wishlist contributions, and the Fortify Forward program. The organization also receives donations through United Way of DeKalb County and Community Foundation of DeKalb County.
2. Grant Funding: Fortify Life receives grant funding from government and institutional sources including Federal Home Loan Bank of Indianapolis ($600,000 for facility expansion), NIPSCO/NiSource Charitable Foundation (Rural Disparity Project), IHCDA Creating Places grant (Fortify Play), and Affordable Housing Program funds through Federal Home Loan Bank.
3. Corporate Partnerships: Local businesses sponsor elements of projects (like Fortify Play features) and provide in-kind support. Van's Home Center of Auburn provides furniture storage, transportation, and staff coordination for Fortify Home.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Fortify Life is a nonprofit organization that provides free transitional housing, supportive housing development, food insecurity coordination, and eviction prevention services to individuals and families experiencing homelessness, hunger, and housing instability in DeKalb County, Indiana. Its flagship program, Fortify Home, offers shelter with case management, employment assistance, and financial coaching, while complementary programs include the Hunger Relief Alliance, the Food Pantry & Free Meal Directory, and the DeKalb County Eviction Clinic. All services are delivered at no cost to recipients, supported by individual donations, corporate sponsorships, and institutional grants.

Product overview

Fortify Life is a not-for-profit organization offering a coordinated portfolio of housing, hunger relief, and community support programs. The core programs include Fortify Home (transitional housing shelter), Fortify Living (upcoming supportive housing development), and Fortify Play (playground/splash pad project). Additional services encompass the Hunger Relief Alliance of DeKalb County (food insecurity network), Food Pantry & Free Meal Directory, DeKalb County Eviction Clinic, Applying Empathy Workshop, and The Rural Disparity Project. Fortify Home features adoptable rooms including The Community Room, The Kitchen, The Kids Room, The Laundry Room, Neighbor Rooms (20 standard rooms plus 2 ADA compliant rooms), and Neighbor Apartments (2 units for larger families). The organization also hosts the annual Auburn-Opoly fundraising gala. Programs are delivered through case management, community partnerships, and volunteer engagement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Fortify Home: Transitional housing program providing safe, stable, and supportive shelter for individuals and families experiencing homelessness
• Fortify Living
• Fortify Play
• Hunger Relief Alliance of DeKalb County

Products and services

• Fortify Home

Quantifiable outcome

• 2,839 calls handled through Resource Hotline in 2024
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• United Way of DeKalb CountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-creator of the DeKalb County Hunger Relief Alliance and partner in the Hunger Relief Fund providing $1,000 in immediate support to local food pantries. Also accepts donations for Fortify Play.
• Community Foundation of DeKalb CountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-creator of the Hunger Relief Alliance, co-funder of the Hunger Relief Fund, and partner in Fortify Play accepting designated donations. Also sponsors Fortify Play 5K.
• City of AuburncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Fortify Play project, providing location at Memorial Park and coordination on park amenities including restroom facilities and pavilion.
• Auburn Parks DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWill maintain Fortify Play splash pad with water costs covered by the City of Auburn. Collaborating on Memorial Park location for the county's first public splash pad.
• Van's Home Center of AuburnminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal business providing furniture storage, transportation, and staff time to coordinate deliveries for Fortify Home, enabling quick furnishing of transitional housing rooms.
• DeKalb Chamber PartnershipminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Fortify Play community collaboration, working with Fortify Life, City of Auburn, Auburn Parks Department, United Way, and Community Foundation.
• FXI - AuburnminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAuburn-based company providing high-quality mattresses for neighbors at Fortify Home. When families leave, they can keep the mattresses. Founder Pete Reinoehl cited as core value aligned.
• Purdue ExtensionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFacilitated cooking classes at Fortify Home's Community Room, teaching neighbors new skills to nourish their families and utilize food on a budget.

Scale indicators18 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• YWCA Northeast Indiana: Regional YWCA operating domestic-violence shelter, transitional housing, and wraparound support services in Northeast Indiana. Comparable to Fortify Home on the residential shelter side and similar family/case-management orientation.
• United Way of DeKalb County: Direct community partner and co-creator of the Hunger Relief Alliance with Fortify Life. Operates the same community fundraising, grantmaking, and human-services coordination stack in the exact same DeKalb County footprint.
• Community Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Indiana: Regional food bank serving Northeast Indiana counties including DeKalb. Directly comparable to the Hunger Relief Alliance of DeKalb County in food distribution, pantries, and SNAP-aligned hunger relief programming.
• Coalition for Homelessness Intervention and Prevention (CHIP): Indianapolis-area nonprofit that coordinates homelessness prevention, housing navigation, and resource hotlines. Highly comparable to Fortify Life's integrated shelter-plus-resource-hotline-plus-eviction-prevention model, scaled to a different Indiana geography.
• Family Promise: National nonprofit operating a network of transitional housing and shelter programs for families experiencing homelessness. Directly comparable to Fortify Home's family-focused transitional housing model, including case management and pathways to permanent housing.
• Habitat for Humanity of Northeast Indiana: Regional Habitat affiliate operating affordable housing development and homeowner support in Northeast Indiana. Comparable to the Fortify Living supportive housing development arm and the broader affordable-housing mission in the same Indiana geography.

Broad incumbents

• The Salvation Army: National faith-based nonprofit running emergency shelters, transitional housing, food pantries, and rent/utility assistance across the country. Operates the same multiservice shelter-plus-hunger-plus-eviction-prevention stack as Fortify Life, but at national scale and as a broad incumbent.
• Catholic Charities Fort Wayne–South Bend: Diocesan social-services agency covering the same Northeast Indiana region, providing emergency assistance, housing support, and hunger relief. Comparable service mix to Fortify Life with a much larger institutional footprint.

Others

• Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority (IHCDA): State housing finance agency that is itself a funder/partner of Fortify Life via the Creating Places grant. Included as an ecosystem peer representing the affordable-housing finance ecosystem Fortify Living is positioning within.

Emerging players

• NeighborLink Indianapolis: Indiana nonprofit focused on volunteer-driven home repair and housing stability for low-income homeowners. Comparable mission overlap with Fortify Life's rural poverty and housing-stability work, but specialized in the home-repair intervention layer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@FortifyLife
• Facebookfacebook.com/fortifylifedekalb
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fortify-life
• Instagraminstagram.com/fortifylifedekalb

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Fortify Life