Every weekday morning, LaDonna Freeman asks her clients at the Center Township Trustee’s Office a simple question: How can we help you today?
It’s an example of Freeman’s people-first approach to the job.
Freeman, a Democrat who was elected Center Township Trustee in 2023, is responsible for making sure township residents have access to basic needs like food and housing. She earns an annual salary of $128,000.
more on township assistance
Center Township has a $5 million budget, the vast majority of which is spent on assistance programs. In addition to the trustee, the township has a five-member board of elected officials who meet at least four times a year. Like trustees, board members serve four-year terms.
Shortly after she took office, Freeman said she extended her office hours because “not everyone is available during business hours.”
The Center Township Trustee’s Office is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday with extended hours to 7 p.m. on Tuesday. The office is also open from 8 a.m. to noon on the last Saturday of the month.
A lifelong resident of Indianapolis, Freeman is a graduate of Lawrence North High School and attended Ivy Tech Community College.
Freeman recently sat down with Mirror Indy to discuss her career in public service, the township’s assistance programs and why she thinks township government is still relevant in 2025.
This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
On public service
How did you get involved in public service?
I’m the mother of four adult children and 10 grandchildren, and I’ve always been active in the community. I worked at the Marion County Democratic Party for six years, and then I got promoted to the Marion County Voter Registration Board, where I served 27-and-a-half years at the City-County Building. I was also the first African American elected to the Marion County Fair Board.
That work led me to help candidates get elected and get involved in the democratic process. When my predecessor decided that he was not going to run for trustee, he asked me to run, so that’s how I ended up here.
On being trustee
You were elected in 2023. What are some things you’ve learned on the job?
I love my job and I love helping people. I go around every morning and talk to the clients. I always say, ‘Good morning. I hope we can help you today,’ just to give them that hope of help. I do that in the afternoon as well. I talk to them and see what we can do around the office here to help.
Before taking on this role, I have taken in unhoused people to my home. I live downtown, so I would see how people would walk around downtown with trash bags. They would cross the street and the bag would bust, and then they’d have to gather all their belongings. I saw how important that was to them.
So one thing I’ve done since I’ve been the trustee is started the Faith in a Case on Wheels program. We got a grant from Foresters Financial, and we’ve got 50 suitcases, and in those suitcases are essentials for someone that’s outside, like hand warmers, socks, a poncho, washcloth. The daily essentials. We went out in December to the libraries to meet the unhoused where they were, and we passed out those suitcases.
Just seeing the success of people by helping them out is I believe what God has me here to do. I’m a survivor of COVID. In 2020, I was on my death bed, and this is something that God wanted me to do, and I ran for office, and I’m here, and I’m here to help. I’m here to assist. I’m here to help people in Center Township, and I’m here to help the community.
On township assistance
What are some things that people might not know about their township government?
They might not know that we’re here to help with rent, mortgages, utilities, medicine. We do burial and cremation. We help with whatever the need is.
My concern is sometimes we wait until the last minute, until we’re two or three months behind on rent, and I just wish that they would seek out assistance sooner than later to see what we actually can do, and not be ashamed to ask for help. Because if we can’t help them, we can try and find the resources that can. We have a clothing closet downstairs. We offer free haircuts. We have a food pantry. We offer free notary services — that’s extra on top of what we’re supposed to do.
We have a day program for the unhoused that I started in February. We allow some of them to come in from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. to get out of the cold, get some food, watch TV. We bought some cots so they can take a nap, and even though we have cots, some of them still feel comfortable laying on the carpet. We have games up there, puzzles, things they can do. We assess their needs and see how we can help them. Do you have your birth certificate? Do you have your Social Security number? Do you have your ID? Then we look at what kind of job they can do.
We’ve done a lot here, and I’m pleased with my staff and the community itself. We’ve done great work, but we still have work to do.
On relevance
In 2007, a statewide commission released a report that recommended eliminating township government as a way to streamline government services in Indiana. How would you argue that township government is still necessary in 2025?
The trustees are needed to give resources to the community, to let them know where the pantries are, who can help with their rent. We’re like the last resort. We just want them to know that we’re here to help them however they can assist. We can do something.
Peter Blanchard covers local government. Reach him at 317-605-4836 or peter.blanchard@mirrorindy.org. Follow him on X @peterlblanchard.
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