The University of Southern Indiana Foundation has received a $1 million gift commitment from The Good Samaritan Home Inc. to establish an internship program to give students real-world experience but also provide southwest Indiana with greater access to social workers.
The gift will support paid internships for students enrolled in the university’s social work programs and fund a clinical faculty position for five years in the College of Liberal Arts. The initiative emphasizes mental health, behavioral health, social services and addiction support for people in underserved and rural communities, the university said in a news release.
“This gift from The Good Samaritan Home is both generous and visionary,” USI President Steve Bridges said. “It addresses an urgent need in our region by preparing more students to become highly skilled social workers while also extending vital services to communities that need them most. We are deeply grateful for this partnership and the impact it will have on our students, our university and the people of southwestern Indiana.”
The College of Liberal Arts, in partnership with the Social Work Program leadership, will oversee the program and collaborate with The Good Samaritan Home to establish goals for the initiative.
“We are very excited to be partnering with USI to help create more highly skilled social workers in southwestern Indiana and to provide critically needed mental health services in this region,” said the Rev. Michael Erwin, Good Samaritan Home Executive Director. “Good Samaritan Home was an innovative outreach of the United Churches of Christ when it was begun 60 years ago. Times have changed, but our focus has not, serving those in need with care, compassion, knowledge and expertise. We are grateful for this partnership and look forward to its future.”
The award is part of a strategic restructuring undertaken by The Good Samaritan Home Inc. in 2023 when the Evansville-based nonprofit sold its senior care facilities, according to the organization’s website.
The board set out to identify new ways to address poverty, mental health and senior care and decided on two initiatives: a $5 million, five-year grantmaking program to support affordable housing in the area and a $1 million partnership with USI to expand access to mental health and senior care through social work education and outreach.