Indianapolis 'Streets to Home' initiative houses 114 people since launch

An Indianapolis initiative to end chronic unsheltered homelessness by 2028 has now connected 114 individuals with housing since the initiative began last summer. 

“Streets to Home Indy” which is led by the Coalition for Homelessness Intervention & Prevention, or CHIP, shared a recent update on the progress of the program. It targets people living unsheltered and provides housing for individuals, along with other wrap-around services for up to 12 months

The initiative has three main phases, the first of which aims to house 300-350 unsheltered people currently living on the streets of Indianapolis. 

This work is possible through public-private partnerships that include CHIP, the city, faith-based organizations and other private and philanthropic support. It provides various kinds of housing, different support services like mental health care, and employment help. 

Chelsea Haring-Cozzi, CEO of CHIP, said it was because of this joint effort that they are able to get people into housing quicker than she’s ever seen before. 

“It also brings the political and civic will to do something different, to do something big, to do something bold, and to really advance that vision that nobody should be living and dying on our streets,” Haring-Cozzi said. 

On average, the initiative is able to get folks into housing within 27 days of encountering them. Haring-Cozi said before it could have been more like 100-150 days.

So far, the initiative has also cleared three encampments across the city:

• Black Mountain encampment - near-east side

• Leonard Street encampment - Fountain Square

• Tyson encampment - Near the Tyson plant on Pleasant Run Parkway

After an encampment is closed, the city works to clean the area and restore it to its original use. The initiative then continues to monitor the area to provide assistance if people try to camp in the area again. 

The initiative works with different landlords across the city to provide housing that fits the individual's needs, and even accommodates families and pets into a person's living situation. The program also sets people up with furniture and other items needed to move into a new home.

The initiative is being funded through various public and private means, including $2.7 million from the City of Indianapolis, $2.7 million from the Housing to Recovery Fund, and $2.7 million actively being raised by philanthropic, faith, corporate, and individual donors.

The goal is to raise $8.1 million for the first phase of the initiative, and the group is just a little over $360,000 away from reaching that goal. 

The second phase will then work to address those who are chronically “stuck” in the shelter system and help them also reach stable housing. This phase will also provide targeted interventions to help people avoid street homelessness. 

The third and final phase is then meant to launch diversion practices system-wide in the city to help individuals from falling back into homelessness. For this phase, the city will also need to identify long-term funding sources. 

“Our goal is to build a system that is efficient and effective and is rapidly rehousing people, so that people are not staying in homelessness in a long-term way,” said Aryn Schounce, senior policy advisor in the Mayor’s Office. 

However, the work done by the initiative will now possibly face the effects of recent legislation passed out of the statehouse that criminalizes homelessness. People camping in public places could face class C misdemeanor charges under the legislation. 

The law doesn’t take effect until July 1. Haring-Cozzi said they hope to have moved as many unhoused individuals into housing as possible by that point to avoid criminal charges for people experiencing homelessness. 

“We're not going to stop doing the right work, and we will work through those barriers and we just hope that folks at the State House will continue to bring us to the table so that we can talk about resources and how they can partner with us in more meaningful ways next session,” Haring-Cozzi said. 

Contact government reporter Caroline Beck at cbeck@wfyi.org