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In the Community

As the only utility in the nation operating as a Public Charitable Trust, Citizens Energy Group functions as a partner with the community it serves. Citizens has a tradition of making investments that improve the quality of life in our community. From neighborhood revitalization efforts like Fall Creek Place and Christmas in April, to our support of college scholarships and our direct financial assistance to low-income customers, Citizens is focused on making Indianapolis a better place to live.

View our Corporate Responsibility Report

 

Neighborhood Revitalization

Martindale on the Monon - Known as the Martindale on the Monon development, a portion of the blighted Martindale-Brightwood area just north of E. 16th Street will see up to 150 new and rehabilitated houses built over the next several years. With a significant number of vacant lots, the 1600 – 1800 blocks of Yandes Street is the first target of a funding partnership between the Citizens Investment Collaboration on Neighborhoods, Martindale-Brightwood CDC, Clarian Health Partners and private developer, Development Concepts, Inc. Partnering with the Martindale on the Monon project was a natural fit for Citizens because of its high level of vacant or underdeveloped lots, location within the central city, and synergies with other investments like the Monon Trail and commercial corridor.

King Park - A $350,000 investment with the King Park Area Development Corporation for redevelopment of the NE and NW corners of 22nd and Delaware Streets has been committed and continues as a strategic corridor investment in which Citizens intends to participate.

Rebuilding Together - Each year on the last Saturday in April, a group of about 50 Citizens Energy Group employees volunteer to help revitalize homes through Rebuilding Together Indianapolis. Rebuilding Together Indianapolis provides assistance to people who own their own home but who, because of physical limitation or low income, are not able to cover the costs of home repair. Typically, these individuals have a disability and/or are elderly, but low-income families and nonprofit facilities such as schools, shelters and daycare centers are also included.

 

Helping Customers in Need

Each year Citizens Energy Group facilitates distribution millions of dollars in financial assistance to low-income customers. The utility's financial commitment includes:

  • Universal Service Fund - Provides 10-25 percent bill discounts to more than 18,000 eligible low-income customers.
  • Warm Heart Warm Home - Provides grants to thousands of low-income customers having trouble keeping up with their gas bills.
  • Citizens Weatherization Program - Provides more than 300 low-income households per year with comprehensive home weatherization improvements valued at $5,000 per home. Improvements yield about 40 percent reductions in the homes’ energy use.

 

Economic Development

Partnerships - Citizens is an active partner and supporter of FOCUS, an innovative partnership between LISC, the Central Indiana Chamber of Commerce, the Indianapolis Coalition for Neighborhood Development and the City of Indianapolis. This city-wide collaboration is making changes in the planning, advocacy, and delivery of economic development projects. The goal is to build long-lasting relationships that connect neighborhoods with businesses and new resources to revitalize urban markets. Sponsorship of an inventory of Indianapolis commercial, industrial and retail properties was granted to FOCUS and the Office of the Mayor for its new online Economic Development Portal. Available to anyone seeking access, the new Web portal will aid in all community economic development efforts

East Side Redevelopment - It’s no secret that Indianapolis zip code area 46201, the near eastside, recently received national recognition with the highest rate of foreclosures in the United States. This high-density near-eastside neighborhood is a challenge for redevelopers because of the few vacant lots and quantity of blighted and abandoned housing stock, making it a high-risk and costly area in which to focus redevelopment efforts. Citizens has chosen to make significant investment in this area because of the tremendous need and the dedication of more than 18 active neighborhood organizations. Joining forces with those living in the area and dedicated to its revitalization will produce the positive results no single group could manage.

Eastside Loan Fund - Citizens Energy Group continues to be the driving force behind organizing the effort and securing the partners for creation of a new low-interest loan pool fund to stimulate redevelopment in the entire eastside area. Available to redevelopers since 2005, the loan pool fund is serving as an incentive for housing revitalization. Up to $1 million will eventually be available, provided by partners Citizens Energy Group, Community Health Partners, the Community Choice Federal Credit Union, Local Initiatives Support Corporation, and others. The fund will be administered by the Community Choice Federal Credit Union on east 10th Street.

 

Investing in Education

Citizens believes a sound education system is the foundation of every great community. That’s why supporting education programs from elementary school through college is a key part of our Community Investment Program.

  • ReadUp - The utility is currently providing volunteers and financial support to the ReadUP Program, which is helping fourth graders at IPS School 14 become better readers. After less than one year, the ReadUP program is already helping the students make dramatic improvement on standardized reading tests.
  • Charter Schools - Citizens has been an active sponsor of the development of charter schools in the city of Indianapolis including the Indianapolis Metropolitan Academy and the Charles A. Tindley Charter School.
  • BackPack Attack - Citizens has been a proud sponsor of the BackPack Attack program that provides back to school supplies to at-risk youngsters. According to United Way, nearly 80 percent of IPS students start the school with inadequate school supplies.
  • IUPUI - At the college level, Citizens is a sponsor of one of the learning spaces at the new IUPUI Campus Center. The utility has endowed the Dr. Lehman Adams/Citizens Gas Scholarship, which annually is given to a minority dental student at IUPUI.
  • IPS Hall of Fame - Since its inception, Citizens has provided leadership and been the title sponsor for the Indianapolis Public Schools’ Alumni Hall of Fame.
  • Training Inc. - In the past five years, Citizens Energy Group has twice been honored as the Employer of the Year by Training, Inc., a nonprofit organization providing low-income residents with job skills training that helps them obtain living-wage employment.