HOMELESSNESS TO SUCCESS

1609 Senator Place

Shelbyville, Indiana 46176
Telephone: (317) 604-9527

The Honorable Speedy

U.S. House of Representative
Washington DC 20515

Dear Representative Speedy:

As our State Representative, I request your support for increased funding of Marion
County, Indiana's adult and youth homelessness programs. Currently, Marion County
offers the Indianapolis Continuum of Care and the Coalition for Homelessness
Intervention and Prevention to individuals and families who have found themselves
homeless. However, State assistance is essential to expand services and help more of our
residents. As computed by Point-In-Time on January 23, 2023, Marion County had
1,619 individuals classified as homeless. Out of the 1,619 homeless individuals, 78%
lived in shelters, while 22% lived unsheltered. For your review, I have attached the 2023
Indianapolis Annual Point-In-Time Count.

I am writing to urge you to address the critical issue of ending homelessness in Marion
County. As you have noted while visiting Indianapolis, the area lacks affordable housing
for those within the homeless population. Due to this issue, we have families and
individuals living in shelters, vehicles, or streets. At the time of computation by Point-In-
Time, 74% of the homeless population were individuals without children, 26% were
individuals in families, and <1% were unaccompanied minors.

If the State would increase funding for transitional housing, business owners and other
citizens would see a decrease in tent camps, individuals living within the corridors of
businesses downtown, or individuals living on city streets. As noted on the local news
and social media outlets, people experiencing homelessness have endured countless
verbal attacks, been removed from tent camps, and experienced hostile environments.

For our community to help these individuals successfully transition from living in
shelters or on the streets to housing, the State needs to provide additional funding to
Indianapolis COC for substance abuse counseling and mental health services. In the
2023 computation, 394 individuals had mental illness, and 629 suffered from a substance
abuse disorder. The lack of funding for these two areas has created the perfect storm for
our homeless population. This area has individuals suffering in silence while living in
deplorable conditions.

Along with being homeless, these same individuals also lack the skills to obtain entry-
level jobs. Increasing funding for these programs should include prioritizing access to
employment training, on-the-job training, and job placement. People experiencing
homelessness also lack access to public transportation to and from work. Providing the
programs mentioned above with funding should also include introducing a voucher
system for individuals to use on the local bus system. This voucher system would allow
those in need to use the buses to get to and from work, medical appointments, or
counseling/therapy.

Of course, educating business owners and citizens of Marion County who see the
homeless population daily will help create the possibility for more volunteer efforts and
funding. Additionally, State funding for these homeless programs will help develop
Indiana’s most incredible resource: its citizens. This State prides itself in “Hoosier
Hospitality”; it is time to use those words and help our fellow people.

If you would like more information or have any questions, please do not hesitate to have
your staff contact me at (317) 604-9527.

Thank you for your consideration in this matter.

Sincerely,

Heather N. Brant
Student, Indiana Wesleyan University
Advocacy in Human Services

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