About Us

The Far Eastside's story of involvement and advocacy started in the 1980's when four local women sat around a kitchen table to discuss the needs of the community. Their early efforts helped create social service providers, neighborhood groups, and finally the Community Alliance of the Far Eastside, providing an array of services under one roof.

CAFE offers direct aid to many of our residents who are in desperate need. We help working families who face large winter heat bills. We provide the elderly with structured activities and nutritious meals. We connect the unemployed with job training and counseling. And we give working families peace of mind by providing a safe, quality after-school environment for their children.

We're also tireless advocates for the broader community, rallying citizens to help make the Far Eastside a better place for all. To strengthen our neighborhoods, we help low- and moderate-income homeowners with repairs, and we refurbish and sell houses to first-time homeowners.

Many community action groups look to CAFE as the focal point of their efforts. We provide meeting space for the Apartment Managers Roundtable, a group which meets monthly with representatives of the City of Indianapolis and with local law enforcement agencies. And we work closely with ENACT, the Eastside Neighborhood Action and Community Team, to host town hall meetings and neighborhood cleanup days. Far Eastside residents look forward to our cookouts, holiday parties, and neighborhood dinners. These special events help keep everyone involved in our many common concerns.

The crown jewel of our community is the Far Eastside Neighborhood Center, which opened in 2002. In addition to housing CAFE's offices, the Center is a gathering place for people of all ages, providing recreational and educational activities nearly every day of the year.

CAFE has come a long way since those four women sat around the table and wondered how to make things better. But every day we bring to life their ideal of direct citizen action for the betterment of the entire community.