BECOME A PARNTER
The Mustard Seed of Central Indiana serves individuals and families on a referral basis from partnering agencies, churches, or community referrals. Our team will speak with the case manager/advocate to help clients to fulfill their furniture and wares needs. We offer a delivery service to ensure that individuals and families receive their furniture in a timely manner. We believe that every person deserves to have their living space made into a home.
The Mustard Seed of Central Indiana is excited to partner with other social service organizations throughout Central Indiana that help serve individuals in need due to issues such as:
Homelessness, Domestic violence, Mental illness or addiction, Physical or mental disabilities, Natural disaster - fire, flood, tornado
Poverty, Re-Entry, Refugees, Veterans, Personal tragedy
To have your organization considered for a partnership, please fill out the form below and our team will get back to you shortly. We will email you a referral form that you will complete with your client and also a Memorandum of Understanding that should be signed by someone in leadership at your agency. The MOU provides a clear understanding of what we offer and how we can best serve the client in need. All clients should be vetted for the need as resources can be limited at times, we want to make sure we are serving those that need it the most and verify they have community supports as they work out of crisis and poverty. Stay tuned for a partner portal as we work to update our system and go paperless!
The Mustard Seed of Central Indiana
How to Provide a Client Referral
We are grateful to the over 130 referring agencies who refer clients for furniture services to The Mustard Seed of Central Indiana. Below is a guide for providing a referral to the client. To protect the integrity of our program, please follow these steps. If you have any questions, please email referrals@mustardseedindy.org
You must have financial authority of your agency in order to sign an MOU. We cannot accept referrals from anyone without an MOU.
Completing a Referral:
When a client indicates a need for furniture services, a home visit must be conducted either virtually or in-person, to verify a need for services.
a. First, identify a permanent place or residence by viewing a lease or mortgage paperwork. Paperwork does not need to be brought to an appointment, but is necessary to verify qualification.
b. Second, ask about the number of family members, indicating on the client referral the number of children and adults being served.
c. Third, identify the pieces of furniture needed for the home. The referral should be based on the number of family members in the home. At this time, we are only able to provide 1-2 dresser per family, regardless of family size. Indicate on the referral form the number of pieces a family is in need of. For example, if a family consists of two married/coupled adults and two children, and the family already owns a television, end table, a couch, then their referral might consist of one queen mattress set, two twin mattress sets, a living room chair, one dresser/nightstands, one coffee table/entertainment center/bookcase, and a dining table and 4 chairs. Please note that this example does not include furniture for guest rooms, home offices, studios, home gyms, etc, because The Mustard Seed’s furniture program is intended to provide basic furniture to stabilize the home living situation, and only provides pieces a family is in need of.
d. Finally, explain the particularities of The Mustard Seed Furniture Program to your client. They are often disappointed when we deliver as the items are not always new or to their style or liking. Please have your case managers remind them that this is a step up and not a forever.
Please do not provide blank referrals to families to fill out. We outline our policies to our agencies to maintain fairness among families served, and so that there isn’t confusion. Please let us know if you have any questions!