‘It’s a miracle’: Fountain Square homeless camp residents to get housing

By Tyler Fenwick

People living in a homeless encampment in Fountain Square are next in line for housing through the city’s Streets to Home Indy project.

The Office of Public Health and Safety announced the decision Aug. 15. The office was facing criticism for its decision to close the camp on Leonard Street earlier this month without having housing available for people living there.

The office didn’t immediately close the camp, although some people living there have already moved their tents elsewhere. According to the announcement, those who have moved on from the camp can still get housing as long as outreach workers already have their name.

No new people will be allowed at the encampment.

“We appreciate everyone’s patience,” the office’s director, Andrew Merkley, said in a statement, in part. “We needed to ensure the best outcomes for our unhoused and housed neighbors, acting with compassion and diligence to find the right solution.”

Streets to Home is still in its early stages, having only worked with residents of one other camp so far. According to the office, 10 people were housed from the first camp.

‘It’s a miracle’

Heather Drummond has been waiting for this news.

Drummond, 45, was talking with a few other people living at the encampment on the afternoon of Aug. 15. Outreach workers had just come by earlier that morning, she said, to tell them they were getting housing.

“It’s a miracle,” Drummond said. “I’ve been fighting for this for a long time. I’m glad they’re finally seeing us for the real people we are.”

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Mirror Indy reporter Tyler Fenwick covers housing and labor. Contact him at 317-766-1406 or tyler.fenwick@mirrorindy.org. Follow him on X @ty_fenwick and Bluesky @tyfenwick.bsky.social.