HVAF

What HVAF does

HVAF of Indiana, Inc. (Helping Veterans and Families), legally established in Indiana in 1993 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit (EIN 35-1890547), is the largest provider of comprehensive services for homeless and at-risk veterans in Indiana. The organization is headquartered at 45 East 10th Street in Indianapolis and operates an integrated service portfolio built around four pillars: Housing (103 transitional beds nightly across 14 properties; 62 permanent supportive housing units across 6 properties; rapid rehousing with rental and utility assistance funded through the VA's SSVF program), Employment Services (one-on-one career counseling, the VetWorks three-phase work-learn-earn training program, and employer job placement — expanded to Terre Haute in 2024 via a two-year pilot with Intecare and Reach Services), a food/clothing/hygiene pantry operating as an in-person shopping experience Tuesdays and Thursdays, and daily street outreach to Indianapolis encampments by a veteran Outreach Coordinator. In 2023 the organization served 1,349 veterans and delivered 37,126 services; 300 veterans were permanently housed in 2024.

The business model is donation- and grant-funded rather than transaction-based: services are delivered free of charge to eligible veterans, and revenue is assembled from individual donations (including a Colonel's Club recurring giving program), foundation and corporate grants (notably a $4.7 million Lilly Endowment grant underwriting VetWorks, a Bob Woodruff Foundation NFL-BWF Healthy Lifestyles grant, and a $50,000 Daughters of the American Revolution grant for the Women's Warrior Fund), federal pass-throughs (VA SSVF, Indianapolis Housing Agency vouchers converted 6 properties to permanent supportive housing), in-kind donations (82,408 pounds of food and clothing in 2023 via an Amazon Wishlist and direct drop-off), and event fundraising (Stand Down — now in its 21st year — Operation Alpha, and Brothers In Arms, which raised $151,062 in 2026, up 50% year-over-year). Go-to-market is community-led: street outreach builds the intake funnel, an in-person Community Center pantry deepens engagement, and employer/landlord partnerships close the loop on job placement and housing stock.

Operationally, HVAF carries a 70+ person paid staff, 1,100+ regular volunteers, and a leadership team under CEO Emmy Hildebrand and COO Bryan Dysert, with program-specific directors for housing, workforce development, and grants. The October 26, 2024 catastrophic fire at Manchester Apartments displaced 48 veterans and triggered a multi-phase reconstruction with general contractor CRC; the North Tower reopened in September 2025 at 23 beds and the South Tower rebuild is projected for August 2026, expanding to 42 units (5 ADA-compliant). The organization publishes an annual IRS Form 990, donor impact reports, and holds a 4-star Charity Navigator rating and GuideStar Platinum Transparency Seal — appropriate accountability infrastructure for a grant-receiving nonprofit of this scale.

Name

HVAF

Legal name

HVAF of Indiana, Inc.

Website

https://hvafofindiana.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

HVAF (Helping Veterans and Families) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1993 in Indianapolis that provides housing, employment training, food, clothing, and case management to homeless and at-risk veterans across central Indiana, and is expanding into Terre Haute.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Veteran Housing and Support Services

NAICS

Community Housing Services (62422), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412), Other Community Housing Services (624229)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Housing Assistance & Homeless Services (BPAGAEAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Affordable/Subsidized Independent Living (HUD/LIHTC) Communities (HLADAAAB)

Keywords

• Veteran homelessness services
• Transitional housing programs
• Workforce development support
• Community outreach services
• Nonprofit veteran assistance

Headquarters

HQ city

Indianapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations (Money): HVAF relies on individual donors for monetary contributions to fund housing, case management, employment services, and pantry operations. A Colonel's Club monthly giving program offers recurring donation options with exclusive quarterly newsletters and annual report recognition.
2. Corporate and Foundation Grants: HVAF receives grants from foundations such as Lilly Endowment Inc. ($4.7 million for career training), Bob Woodruff Foundation (NFL-BWF Healthy Lifestyles grant for post-9/11 veteran training), and Daughters of the American Revolution ($50,000 Women's Warrior Fund). These grants fund specific programs including VetWorks.
3. Government Funding (VA SSVF): HVAF receives Department of Veterans Affairs funding through the Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) grant, which provides healthcare navigation, rapid rehousing, and prevention services for veterans and their families.
4. In-Kind Donations: Donors contribute food, clothing, hygiene items, and household goods to the HVAF pantry. An Amazon Wishlist allows donors to purchase and ship items directly. 82,408 pounds of food and clothing items were distributed in 2023.
5. Event Fundraising: Annual events including Stand Down (21st annual in 2026), Operation Alpha, and Brothers In Arms generate sponsorship revenue and individual contributions. The 2026 Brothers In Arms event raised $151,062.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

HVAF provides housing, employment, food, clothing, and outreach services to homeless and at-risk veterans and their families across central Indiana at no cost. Core service lines include transitional housing (103 veterans nightly), permanent supportive housing (62 units across 6 properties), rapid rehousing with rental and utility assistance, workforce development through the VetWorks program, a food/clothing/hygiene pantry, street outreach to homeless camps, and case management including healthcare navigation and therapy under the VA SSVF grant.

Product overview

HVAF (Helping Veterans And Families) is a non-profit organization offering an integrated service portfolio for homeless and at-risk veterans. The core services include Housing (transitional and permanent supportive housing), Employment (workforce development and VetWorks program), Pantry (food, clothing, hygiene distribution), and Street Outreach. Additional offerings include a podcast, community engagement events, and healthcare navigation. The organization operates from its Veterans Community Center in Indianapolis and provides services across multiple Indiana counties.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• VetWorks: Veterans Workforce Renewing Knowledge and Skills - an intensive 3-phase work, learn, and earn program designed to skill up veterans to achieve their earning potential through on-the-job training, education/certifications, and job placement assistance.
• SSVF
• Stand Down
• Operation Alpha
• Colonel's Club

Products and services

• Housing Services Comprehensive housing assistance for homeless and at-risk veterans in central Indiana, including transitional housing for 103 veterans nightly across 14 properties, permanent supportive housing for 62 units across 6 properties, rapid rehousing with rental and utility assistance, and healthcare navigation support for veterans and their families.
• Employment Services Workforce development program providing one-on-one employment services including resume creation, interview preparation, career counseling, the VetWorks intensive 3-phase training program, and direct employer job placement, including services expanding to Vigo County/Terre Haute.
• Pantry Services Food, clothing, and hygiene pantry providing essential items to veterans as an in-person shopping experience at HVAF's Community Center on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., supported by an Amazon Wishlist of curated donations.
• Street Outreach Daily street outreach services where a veteran Outreach Coordinator visits homeless camps throughout Indianapolis to provide food, clothing, hygiene items, and connections to HVAF's housing, employment, and case management services.
• Rapid Rehousing (SSVF) VA SSVF-funded program providing rapid rehousing with rental and utility assistance, healthcare navigation, and case management to veterans and their families in their own homes to prevent and resolve homelessness.
• VetWorks (Veterans Workforce Renewing Knowledge and Skills) Intensive 3-phase work, learn, and earn career training program designed to skill up veterans to achieve their earning potential through on-the-job training, education/certifications, and job placement assistance, funded by a $4.7M Lilly Endowment grant and Bob Woodruff Foundation NFL-BWF Healthy Lifestyles grant.
• Roger That Podcast Original podcast sharing HVAF's mission, community partner profiles, and veteran success stories, hosted by CEO Emmy Hildebrand and distributed on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and YouTube.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,349 veterans served and 37,126 services provided in 2023
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• IntecareminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Terre Haute-based partner organization providing housing services as part of HVAF's two-year pilot program to expand workforce development services to Vigo County veterans. HVAF embedded a full-time employment specialist with Intecare's housing team.
• Reach ServicesminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Terre Haute-based nonprofit serving low-income individuals and families, partnering with HVAF in a two-year pilot program to expand employment services to veterans in Vigo County.
• Woda Cooper CompaniescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Partnered to open Proctor Place in 2022, providing 15 permanent supportive housing units named in honor of Sergeant Joseph Eugene (Joey) Proctor, killed in action in Iraq on May 3, 2006.
• St. Joseph Neighborhood AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011Supported the opening of Manchester Apartments in 2011 after multiple zoning meetings and planning efforts. This 51-unit property for male and female veterans is connected to HVAF Headquarters.
• Indianapolis Housing AgencycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAwarded HVAF housing vouchers to convert transitional housing properties into permanent supportive homes, enabling 62 affordable permanent supportive housing units across 6 properties.
• Neighborhood Christian Legal ClinicminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerReferred HVAF clients for expungement assistance, helping veterans clear records to improve employment prospects. Example: Rapid Rehousing Case Managers connected veteran Andre to expungement services.
• Employer PartnerscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIndianapolis-area employers who partner with HVAF to hire veterans. HVAF has a dedicated Employer Partner program page and employer recruitment effort. Example: Plastic Recycling, Inc. hired veteran Brent through the VetWorks program.
• Landlord PartnerscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorProperty owners and landlords who provide rental units to HVAF's rapid rehousing and permanent supportive housing programs. HVAF has a dedicated Landlord Partner inquiry form to recruit housing providers.
• CRC (Construction Company)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerConstruction project manager working on the Manchester Apartments reconstruction following the October 26, 2024 fire. Olan from CRC discussed progress updates on the Roger That podcast.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves13 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Volunteers of America Indiana: Indiana-focused arm of the national Volunteers of America nonprofit network; offers supportive services for veterans (SSVF) and broader housing/homelessness programming across Indianapolis and central Indiana, overlapping with HVAF's geographic market and federal funding streams.
• National Veterans Memorial and Museum / National Veterans Foundation: National veteran-serving organization that provides referral, advocacy, and crisis support for veterans including those facing homelessness — overlaps with HVAF on veteran population and case-management/advocacy functions.
• Salvation Army Indianapolis Adult Rehabilitation Center: Indianapolis branch of the national Salvation Army providing emergency shelter, transitional housing, and rehabilitation services including for veterans in the same metro — overlapping with HVAF on housing and emergency services but as part of a much broader social services portfolio.

Direct peers

• U.S. VETS (United States Veterans Initiative): National nonprofit providing transitional housing, permanent housing, employment, and support services specifically to homeless and at-risk veterans — closely mirroring HVAF's integrated service model and veteran-only service population.
• Swords to Plowshares: California-based veteran services nonprofit offering housing, employment, case management, and benefits navigation to homeless and low-income veterans — direct functional peer to HVAF's comprehensive veteran service model, though operating on a different (West Coast) geography.
• Hoosier Veterans Assistance Foundation (HVAF itself is this org; the prior name): Self-reference: HVAF historically operated under the longer Hoosier Veterans Assistance Foundation brand.
• New England Center for Homeless Veterans: Boston-based nonprofit providing transitional and permanent supportive housing, employment services, and case management exclusively to homeless veterans — strong functional peer to HVAF in service model, though operating in a different regional market.

Regional players

• Wheeler Mission: Indianapolis-based nonprofit providing emergency shelter, housing, and recovery services to individuals experiencing homelessness, including veterans — operates in the same Indianapolis geography with overlapping shelter and rehousing missions, though serving a broader (non-veteran-specific) population.
• Central Indiana Goodwill / Goodwill of Central and Southern Indiana: Indianapolis-based nonprofit focused on workforce development, job training, and employment placement — directly comparable to HVAF's VetWorks and employment services, though serving a broader (non-veteran-specific) population in the same geography.
• Greater Indianapolis Urban League: Indianapolis-based nonprofit focused on economic empowerment, workforce development, and housing stability for underserved populations including veterans — overlaps with HVAF on employment services and housing navigation within the same regional market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/hvafofindiana
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC4tIXazQWmrz0_k_le-7vbw
• Facebookfacebook.com/HVAFofIndiana
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hvaf-of-indiana-inc-
• Instagraminstagram.com/hvafofindiana
• TikToktiktok.com/@hvafofindiana

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 HVAF