Fountain Square encampment closes as residents wait for housing

A camp for unhoused people in Fountain Square will be closed this week, city officials said, citing public safety for camp residents and local homeowners and property owners.

Last month, the Indianapolis Office of Public Health and Safety told unhoused camp residents it would close the camp Monday. The department said that Professional Blended Street Outreach Teams, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department’s Homeless Unit, and other service providers would try to house people through city programs.

“Any activity at the encampment will occur following the posted closure date,” said Brian Heinemann, an OPHS spokesperson, of actions the city will take to close the camp.

“Since the notice was posted, service providers and outreach workers have continued to work diligently toward connecting those living in the camp with resources and alternative accommodations they may need. Those efforts will continue throughout the day,” he added.

On Monday afternoon, there were still over a dozen tents at the encampment on Leonard Street. A reporter observed that most people still at the camp did not appear to be leaving, but at least one person was loading possessions onto a trailer.

Charlie Merrell lives at the camp. Earlier this year, Merrell had been run over by a tow-truck and can’t walk, he said. He’s still recovering from his injuries.

“These waiting lists, waiting years and years and years just to get a house,” he said of housing assistance programs. “I mean, what’s up with that?” he said.

Merrell said his wife, Angela Merrell, needs insulin for diabetes. They have to buy ice to keep it cool during the summer heat.

“Been out here for three years, been waiting,” she added. “Still nothing.”

The Merrells said they grew up in the area and are waiting on an apartment through the Homeless Initiative Program.

Pastor David Greene said he’s disappointed housing wasn’t an immediate solution for people at the camp.

“We are moving the problem from one location to another location, and that’s not solving a problem,” said Greene, president of the Concerned Clergy of Indianapolis and a member of the Mayor’s Leadership Council on Homelessness. “That’s not really progress. At best, it’s only politics.”

The Indianapolis Department of Public Works will provide camp residents with storage bins for personal items and will hold them for up to 60 days, according to the July 25 closure notice.

“OPHS will continue to work with our partners to rapidly house unsheltered individuals through ongoing initiatives including Streets to Home Indy, St. George bridge housing and the pilot Master Leasing program,” said a spokesperson.

In June, city leaders announced a plan to end unsheltered homelessness by 2028. A previous goal, to end homelessness by 2023, fell short.

The encampment closure is the city’s first this year. Since 2021, 14 camps have been closed.

Contact WFYI reporter Zak Cassel at zcassel@wfyi.org.