Forest Manor Multi-Service Center To Close After 44 Years

The Forest Manor Multi-Service Center on the Northeast Side will close its doors Aug. 1 and seek to regroup for a possible future reopening. 

The center has been around for 44 years offering services to low-income families, including after school programs, job assistance, a food pantry and help for seniors. But the center’s board chair, Sarah Butler, says they’ve had to cut back in the past two years as they sought more funding and a realignment of its offerings.

“We paired down the services to really hone in on what we know we could do," she says. "But the time has just come, that, we cannot service them to the best of our ability and someone else could.”

Over the next few months, Butler hopes the center leaders can figure out a more focused way to help the neighborhood and reopen.

“We would be open to having other leaders that are in that community and neighborhood come to the table and we can all see what the best plan is moving forward," she says.

Other area nonprofits are expected to take over programs currently offered by the center, says Ann Murtlow, president, and CEO of United Way of Central Indiana.

“During this time, we are working collaboratively with Forest Manor and our partner agencies to arrange a smooth transition of services for the neighborhood,” Murtlow says,

Five full-time employees will be laid off when it closes. The center is located at 5603 E 38th St.