Real Alternatives Achieves Successful Indiana Expansion

Real Alternatives is a nonprofit organization that leverages the support of more than 140 service providers to assist women in finding life-affirming solutions to unexpected pregnancies. Established in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, in 1996, Real Alternatives has since expanded its services to Michigan and Indiana. In November 2014, Indiana became the third state to welcome Real Alternatives to its social services landscape. That month, the nonprofit pregnancy and parenting support organization partnered with the state to create and administer the Pregnancy and Parenting Support Program of Indiana, which directs women in crisis pregnancies to abortion alternatives such as counseling and mentorship programs.

At the time, Real Alternatives had served over 250,000 women at its 95 Pennsylvania centers, in addition to more than 1,700 women served at its 17 Michigan centers since 2013. Its expansion to Indiana allowed the nonprofit to deliver its life-affirming services to a host of new communities throughout Indiana. The partnership between Real Alternatives and the Indiana government began with a yearlong trial engagement, during which the state’s health department provided a $1 million contract with Real Alternatives to establish 16 pregnancy support centers. Over the course of the year, these centers served approximately 8,400 clients at nearly 17,000 visits, providing services to assist mothers both before and after giving birth.

This network continues to operate similarly to Real Alternatives programs in other states, with Real Alternatives administering the service provider payments, inspections, client advertising and education material purchases in order to provide free counseling support and resources to expectant mothers.