At a meeting of the Evansville City Human Relations Commission, Chairperson Britney Crane said commissioners had compiled a preliminary list of autism- and disability-related service providers and discussed moving that list into a community resource app being developed by a local volunteer.

The resource hub is intended to centralize information — including residential programs, transportation, behavioral supports and therapy providers — and to be organized by life stage and service type so users can navigate by diagnosis and age. Commissioners emphasized that the tool should be user-friendly and allow partner agencies limited administrative access to update event and program listings.

Commission members said the app already exists in prototype form and that a local developer created it, but the commission has not identified funding for hosting and ongoing server costs. "Galisa has already already created the app for us, but we need host funds," Commissioner Michelle Kirk said. A staff member offered to provide cost estimates: "So I can get you some numbers for, like, the server cost," the staff member said.

Why it matters: commissioners said a maintained, centralized directory could reduce duplication, provide up-to-date referrals for families and help direct people to Vocational Rehabilitation and other services. They also warned that event calendars add a recurring cost and maintenance burden beyond a static resources list.

Discussion details
- Provider list: Chairperson Britney Crane said she compiled an initial, nonexhaustive list of autism-specific and disability service providers, naming organizations that commissioners later discussed including ResCare, Apex, Sycamore, SIRS, Bridges, Dungarvin, Indiana Mentor, Easterseals, The Arc of Indiana/Arc of Evansville and others. Commissioners noted some providers (for example, Dungarvin) primarily offer residential services in the area and may not provide employment supports.
- Speakers and presenters: Crane said Delisa had reached out to invite a local barber who specializes in servicing autistic individuals to speak at the November meeting and that another provider company (named Achieving Smiles in the discussion) might present in December.
- Hosting and funding: commissioners asked for a cost estimate for server/storage and for options to host the app on a domain or platform. A staff member said she would provide rough server-cost and scaling estimates. Commissioners discussed seeking sponsorships if HRC funds were insufficient.
- Edit access and workflow: Commissioners proposed giving different community partners limited admin access so partners could upload event or resource updates directly, reducing the burden on a single person to keep the directory current. The group emphasized the need for a simple interface and suggested testing the flow with other parents before wider rollout.
- Events vs. resources: commissioners distinguished a static resources directory from a community events calendar; several members warned that an events calendar requires ongoing updates and carries higher costs. "Now if you wanna update it once a month, that's possible. But keep it ongoing to keep it daily. That's that's a price tag," a staff member said.
- Interim outreach: Until hosting is resolved, commissioners agreed to continue sharing community event notices and resources via the commission's Facebook page.

Decisions and next steps
- Commissioners asked staff to compile and combine existing lists and to add provider details in stages (birth-to-early-childhood through adult services).
- A staff member will provide rough server and hosting cost estimates to the commission.
- Commissioners will schedule follow-up design meetings (via a board email thread) to review the app flow and identify parent testers and partner organizations who would have admin access.

Ending
Crane said she expects the commission to pursue estimates and to reconvene on the app at the November meeting and in a smaller working session in the coming weeks to finalize design and identify funding options.