"Indianapolis Homeless: They don't fit common stereotypes....while mental illness or substance abuse was found in more than one-third of those counted in 2008, nearly one-fourth were employed and one-fifth were in school."

18 percent is a substantial reduction. Of course, homeless counts in general are horribly unreliable in arriving at an actual count, since there are many Homeless individuals who drop out of sight during the count, volunteers who do the count often do not know where to look, and the count is typically done at a time that makes spotting people very difficult for even the trained eye.

In any event, Indy deserves at least some backslapping for a job well done; at least they've been able to add some affordable housing units over the previous couple of years....


Homelessness quest: halfway home, miles to go | IndyStar.com | The Indianapolis Star
Editorial

Homelessness quest: halfway home, miles to go

Posted: July 18, 2008

Our position: Good news about low-cost shelter must spark redoubled effort.

An ailing economy, tight federal funding and a multiplicity of competing needs failed to disrupt the city's steady progress against homelessness in 2007. Yet there remains a long way to go in the journey toward decent shelter for all, and the road won't get any smoother.
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At its annual meeting Tuesday, the Coalition for Homelessness Intervention and Prevention announced that its yearly count of homeless persons last January totaled 1,524 -- an 18 percent decrease from the 1,868 in January 2007.

That brings the 10-year Blueprint to End Homelessness to its halfway point in two respects: When it started in 2002, the homeless count was 3,500.

These are not granite-carved figures, but they provide working data as to what a given night in Indianapolis presents. The estimated 1,500 persons who are homeless one typical night would not be the same 1,500 who are in shelters or on the street on another typical evening. CHIP surmises that homelessness is experienced at some point in the year by as many as 7,500 persons.

They don't fit common stereotypes. For example, while mental illness or substance abuse was found in more than one-third of those counted in 2008, nearly one-fourth were employed and one-fifth were in school.

Nor does the official count reflect individuals and families who are effectively homeless but have managed to negotiate a stay at someone's home or get a motel room.

In short, low-cost housing remains a formidable challenge in a community which, like the rest of the nation, simultaneously suffers from the lending meltdown in moderate- and middle-income housing.

Much is being done. Hundreds of affordable homes have been built under the Blueprint through cooperation between businesses, not-for-profit organizations and the city. Support services such as job placement and addictions counseling are expanding. While funding from United Way, Lilly Endowment and a new city real estate transaction fee have heavily nourished the effort, much of it is self-sustaining, through rents from those receiving help.

The campaign against homelessness does not lack for a high profile. Indiana Pacers Coach Jim O'Brien and his wife, Sharon, were co-chairpersons of this year's Indy Homeless Connect event. The city's successful bid for the 2012 Super Bowl included a revitalization package for the Near Eastside. Mayor Greg Ballard has made a priority of salvaging abandoned houses and getting them occupied.

These and countless other strides have made 2008, like 2007, a year of momentum. The coming few years will require all of it.