Homeless in Indianapolis

[Marty posch]

There was an article in today's Indianapolis Star about how the homeless number has risen dramatically here in town. That is without counting people who are just switching from friends to friends house. This is only counting people that are on the street / in shelters. The posts after the article were annoying, they were all blaming, no solutions on how to help. People just pointing the finger at government without raising a finger themselves. I am not saying that there arent things, huge things that need to be done in government to help this problem. Good lord there are many. I am just curious what each of us as individuals could do, or what needs to be formed, to help this problem. Again, I am not looking to SOLVE homelessness, I am just wanting to use the creative minds of Smaller Indiana to look into this problem. Dont look at SOLVING it, look at making a dent in it. If you do something to get one homeless person off the street and get them on their feet you have changed a life.

The article is http://www.indystar.com/article/20090618/LOCAL18/906180429/Dozens+m...

[Marty posch]

Chris..you know how much it pains me to say this, but you are right , and thanks for your insight. I have been thinking alot about something very similar. It is something that I am very passionate about and feel the same way. Thanks for your input.

[Michael R.]

I think we should petition Jim Irsay to pay for housing for the homeless considering how he fleeced Indiana and its citizens into paying for his new stadium. The rich stay rich, and the poor end up in blurbs in the Indy Star...

[Michael R.]

You have about 300 lines or so that are "so wrong" on this site, Chris. I have a lot of catching up to do.

[Marty posch]

Its not up to the rich to take care of the poor, its up to everyone.

[Michael R.]

So Jim Irsay helping the homeless is a bad idea? Got it. Maybe if you familiarized yourself with how he made out like a bandit with the new stadium deal you would understand where my sentiments came from. It was tongue-in-cheek, but the rich have always been stickin' it to the poor...always have, always will. If Jim Irsay took a pro-active approach to abolish homelessness in Indy you don't think that would have a trickle-down effect? Of course it would. And, yes, it IS up to everyone but wouldn't it be nice if a really rich guy who became more rich because of the taxpayers of Indiana decided it was time for homelessness in Indiana to be done away with? I sure do.

[Marty posch]

Yes, but saying someone else should do it isnt exactly an answer as to how we can do something about it. It is not Jim Irsay's job to help the homeless, and this forum isnt about the stadium deal. I dont know where Jim Irsay's philanthropic passions are. He should go with those passions. If his passion is breast cancer , it should go there, if it is Cystic Fibrosis he should go to that. I certainly dont think that Jim Irsay would give money to "end homelessness". I think there needs to be more ideas and things laid out a little better than that. And that is what this forum is for. Ideas.....someone else doing it is not an idea.

[Zachari George]

Here is a truly complex problem. High rents, competitive markets, and transitions all exacerbate it. Some places require you to have 1. Good credit 2. Verifiable income that meets criteria for up to 3 x Rent. Also a problem is that if you do not make enough money you may be forced into subsidized housing that fosters an unsuitable environment not much better than being homeless.
I agree that the "friend" angle plays a huge part. When a roommate of mine began using drugs in the house, I had no choice but to "move in with Mom" until I finish my Bachelor's in August at least (job market) because most of my friends are married, out of state, or I don't have acquaintances who are trustworthy in similar situations.
My income is insufficient for most rentals (I work part time, own a small business and attend school full time) so this leaves me in a perplexing situation, especially when my daughter needs to stay in the same school district, which limits its area to a very small portion of the town! I'd love to hear the "creative ideas" here.
I would like to make more money, which requires more time, in turn that means I sacrifice time with my growing child, school, or any kind of healthy lifestyle- I don't think I should have to choose!

[Zachari George]

The subsidized housing carries 6 month- 1 yr. waiting lists call them at 882-1511 to verify. I need something by August if I wish to keep my daughter enrolled without tuition fees for out of district. In addition to these fees, now a commute is added. Personally I wouldn't have 4 children because I'd rather finance the economics of one or two and have plenty of time and energy on my hands. This isn't a discussion about a temporary situation (mine).

I believe originally it was a question of how to solve a problem creatively, and I have submitted a "case example" to help people understand what "homelessness" can look like. If I had to pick a way to solve it, I would suggest pooling resources for a "group buy" of some sort, or temporary housing- say up to two years- for residents to obtain stable employment and purchase a HUD home or similar. I am not able to do that currently, but as I said, I see that changing. I just find it interesting that there are a multitude of situations and that there needs to be more done to help people involved in them. Thanks for responding.

[Tim Piazza]

The one thing I haven't seen mentioned yet in this thread is the mental condition of those people who are living on the streets. My wife is a homeless outreach coordinator in the city of Evansville. She's very good at her job and she's very discrete when it comes to talking about clients. But I do get the stories. I hear about the homeless guy that she gets housed through a program that is in place to do that. The problem is that he's addicted to crack, and with his first check, the money goes to feed his addiction rather than to buy food or pay for utilities. He gets evicted, and he's back on the street. I don't mean this to say "crack addict causes his own troubles", but to say that here was a guy who wasn't ready for the services he was given. He really needed to be in a program designed to overcome his addiction and desire to do drugs, and he needed to be in a place where he didn't have access to the drugs until there was more going on in his life--more to lose.

The greater problem from what I hear is that many, probably most of the people on the street have mental illness and they are not being properly treated or medicated. They have paranoia, delusions, extremely poor judgment, and they need much more help than the available services can offer. There are people who should be inside care facilities where they get 24 hour supervision, but because the services are not there and they have an extreme distrust of the shelters, they make their homes underneath bridges.

One of the big problems, as I understand it, is that the privatization of social services in Indiana has created a big mess. It takes much longer for people to get services, and many who need them, don't get them. Private companies may be more efficient, but sometimes efficiency comes at the cost of fewer services or greater hurdles in qualifying for those services.

Drug addictions for people who are "self-medicating" is common among the homeless. A history of being physically and sexually abused is common among the homeless. Mental illness is common among the homeless. These are not problems that can be solved with an apartment and a job interview. It is a complex problem, my friends. The best thing we can do is to help increase the services that these people need. More options, fewer dead-ends, and a light at the end of the tunnel for those who can stand the light. For those who can't, we have to keep on caring. They are a part of us, part of the human family, too.

[Tim Piazza]

Chris, I hope you consider the possibility that you are too close to your own experience to see the entire problem. There are lots of reasons people become homeless, and while sometimes it is lack of opportunity (which seems to be what you are describing and is more the case when unemployment is high), there are many other reasons as well. My wife gives me a very realistic view of the circumstance in Evansville. She has some wins--people whom she is able to get housing for and is able to help, people she can get into counseling, can get bus tokens, cell phones, and addresses for. I also hear about the people who get out of jail and are now living on the street. There's a broad range.

Now, for you to take my offense at a characterization that you don't happen to fit or happen to like is a personal matter. To say that I don't have a clue who the homeless people are is simply wrong. I share a home with someone who goes under bridges, into shelters, and down railroad tracks to seek out people she can help. The homeless community in Evansville know her, and she knows them. Do you really think I don't have a clue?

Let's just agree to disagree. I thought this would be a constructive conversation, but I do not have the time to argue politics or perspectives. I respect your view, but I think you have a very narrow perspective. You might consider the possibility that I know quite a bit more about homelessness than you presently believe. But it's your choice. I'm not going to try to win an argument with you.

[Marty posch]

See my only thought is, for me personally, I am not looking for a way to "Cure everyone" or "solve homelessness". I think that there are many people out there that need help. Yes it may be a drug addiction that they need help with, but there are people that need help in many ways. I know there are also some great organizations in Indianapolis that are already out there doing incredible work. My thought is there needs to be more. More transitional housing that ISNT a shelter, that does still monitor everyone, that does still take some of their paycheck and put it in an account, that does have ways that they can drive or be driven to work , that does have counselling , financial planning, ways to get them on their feet. I dont mean to sound callous, but I think we get too tied up with the "crack addicts and mentally sick" that are homeless and forget that there are MANY people out there, like the man in the article, who just need to get on their feet (not to make it sound like it is easy). THOSE are the people that need the help. From my standpoint the mentally ill are the mentally ill and to include that into a huge "help the homeless" takes it to a whole different level. I would want to put something else together that helps those who really want the help, and to do it away from government. Its such a huge issues so i realize that there are different issues within it and it isnt as simple as posting on SI, but I think you really complicate helping people that really need and want the help, when you just focus on the drunk , the mentally ill, and the crackheads" as homeless.

[Tim Piazza]

Marty, I appreciate where you are coming from and it makes sense that if we solve the easy problems first, it quickly clears the decks so that the tougher problems can be addressed.

Here is an example of how one community has addressed the issue. In a past life, I was a member of the "renaissance faire" community. Becoming a "Rennie" is very much like running away with the circus, and once you're in, you're family. Family take care of their own. A couple of performers decided that since they really don't have unemployment insurance, health insurance, or any sort of safety net, the community needed to provide one. So they created an organization called The RESCU Foundation. They raise money within the Rennie community of performers, artisans, and merchants. They disburse the money based on individual circumstances, decided by a board. If you want to learn more about RESCU, here is a link. If you want more information about how they operate, I can provide you with more specific information, whom to talk to, and an introduction.