Porter County health board funds community reentry, YMCA wellness programs and a new county resource portal; community groups present updates

VALPARAISO, Ind. — At a concurrent Porter County public-health meeting, the county health board approved multiple Healthy Families Initiative grants to local YMCA organizations to expand fitness, chronic-disease prevention and family wellness programming, heard a detailed presentation from the Community Change Center on reentry services and second-chance employment, and reviewed progress on the county's "Find Help" resource portal.

The board approved a Valparaiso YMCA proposal to deliver mobile fitness classes and community wellness programming in rural parts of Porter County, including Hebron and Kouts, with funding requested for instructor compensation, mobile fitness equipment and targeted marketing to reach underserved residents. Commissioners and health directors discussed the project's intended June-to-December start and an outreach plan that includes library partnerships and targeted postcards to households.

The Portage YMCA also received HFI approval to continue and expand chronic-disease screening and prevention work including blood-pressure self-monitoring seminars, diabetes prevention and family-based healthy-weight programs; the Portage YMCA said its outreach last year touched an estimated 32,000 people through screenings, employer engagements and media campaigns and that it hopes to expand blood-pressure and family programming in coming months.

The board also approved funding for Strength & Stillness, a program offering yoga and breath-work classes tailored to first responders and the reentry/recovery communities. Presenters cited peer-reviewed and departmental data showing yoga can improve flexibility, reduce anxiety and reduce injury and use-of-force incidents among officers when adopted as regular practice. The program was approved with a plan to run an initial period (the board discussed 6-month and 12-month options) and to evaluate sustainability options including state training-center partnerships and Medicaid-billable services for reentry clients.

Community Change Center presentation Sam (Demetrius) and Megan Judy of the Community Change Center presented a multi-component reentry plan funded in part by the health board. They said the county-funded position has delivered immediate case management and created programs including "Set for Success" workforce-readiness curriculum, a neighborhood mentorship pilot pairing justice-involved mentors with young adults, and a food truck employment pilot (launch event scheduled April 26) that will act as a social-enterprise training ground for hiring returning citizens.

"In the first two months of my employment with Sam I have hit the ground running," Megan told the board; she said the center is operating walk-in reentry hours, had seven ongoing clients and nearly 40 service contacts in a single month and is building employer relationships for second-chance hiring.

Find Help portal and resource updates Health department staff and partners reported usage growth on the county's Find Help portal: 2024 had over 3,000 distinct users and the first three months of 2025 showed nearly double the traffic in county searches versus the same period last year. Board members discussed next steps to increase visibility (email signatures, public kiosks, library placements and posters in emergency departments) and requested quarterly update metrics. Staff said they are preparing a promotional campaign and additional materials including window clings and signage for partner agencies.

Ending Board members asked staff to continue monitoring program results and to report back on early metrics; board approval of the HFI grants means the YMCAs and Community Change Center may begin program launches and outreach steps identified during the meeting.