Donation Needs for Men

• Pants (especially large)
• Underwear
• Socks
• Shoes (larger sizes especially 16EEE, 18, 19)
• T-shirts (larger sizes especially 5x-7x)

Donation Needs for Women

• Underwear
• Bras

General Donation Needs

• Ponchos
• Hooded Sweatshirts
• Snack food (items to eat without utensils:  crackers, canned sausages, granola bars, fruit cups)
• Back packs – both for kids and adults

You can also make a monetary donation online by clicking here.

For more information or to set up a time to drop off a donation, please call 317-957-2275.

As the temperatures continue to drop, most of us grab our thick winter coats, hats, and gloves before heading out the door for holiday activities. For many of Indy’s homeless residents, that is impossible. This holiday season, please considering giving the gift that gives back by donating to HealthNet’s Homeless Initiative Program (HIP).

You can make a monetary donation online by visiting www.indyhealthnet.org/Donate.

HIP is also in need of the following items for the clients we serve:

• Hoodies (Small – 4XL)
• Coats (Small – 4XL)
• Men’s new underwear (Small – 3XL)
• Hats
• Gloves
• Sweatpants and Sweatshirts (Small – 3XL)
• Socks (White sweat socks and wool socks)
• Fleece items
• Blankets

As you might imagine, there are many barriers for women that are living on the streets or in emergency shelters in our community.  Immediate challenges that one might think of could be childcare, schooling, and getting their children out of domestic violence situations. Any one of these challenges might be enough to certainly frustrate but have also proven difficult to navigate.

However, a more obvious but still surprisingly easy barrier is access female hygiene products that someone not experiencing homelessness may take for granted. We all know family members or spouses/partners who have come home from a long day at work and then had to travel back out to a local store or pharmacy to get these items even though all they want to do is decompress from a stressful day.  Why, you ask, is it such a challenge or such a large barrier to homeless women to access these items?  As my colleagues run through these reasons, suddenly common sense kicks in and I acquire the knowledge that sheds light on this issue.

Firstly, female hygiene products can be very expensive even though they run normally under $5-6 for tampons or pads depending on brand and quantity.  But let’s think this through.  If you are living in an emergency shelter and have no income or have a very low income to which you are trying to prioritize all of your other basic needs out of, this need may go unmet.  This means that women experiencing homelessness may prioritize their child’s need for formula (which is not inexpensive) or training pull ups first in front of their own needs.

Next you might say, well aren’t those common items that an emergency shelter or a Homeless Service provider such as HIP would have on hand and free of charge?  The short answer is yes; but female hygiene products are not items that get donated on a regular basis.  Again, most likely due to their high cost in bulk and diverse options, but also because people who are looking to help don’t often think of these items as a “hot commodity” and hard to access. This example applies to many of the daily/weekly/monthly items that those of us who have not been in unstable housing situations, domestic violence, or emergency shelter locations just don’t compute as items that are hard to acquire.  The next time you are thinking of ways to help make things a little easier for women experiencing homelessness, please consider donating these items yourself or holding a drive for the diverse sizes, types, and brands that women in the Indianapolis community can utilize.

For more information on donating items, please contact HealthNet’s Homeless Initiative Program at 317-957-2275 or email info@indyhealthnet.org.

A partnership quickly developed when JoAnn Morris, one of Homeless Initiative Program’s Nurse Practitioners called Rachael for a 44D size bra for someone who at the time was wearing a 34B. With Rachael’s help, HIP facilitated an experience focused on a day of pampering for homeless women that needed this simple yet hard to obtain staple. These women were also treated to Mary Kay make overs, access to hygiene products, 15 minute chair massages provided by local massage therapists including HIP’s own Lesley Jordan.  HIP also had a professional bra fitter on hand to properly size each woman and help facilitate how to find options in multiple styles. Lunch was also purchased from Shapiro’s which is a tasty treat often unavailable under such stressful circumstances.

While these women enjoyed a day of self-care, child care was also provided by great volunteers so that the kids could have some play time. As the women left, they were able to select give away items such as scarves, candle holders, lotions, picture frames and jewelry boxes that they could take back to the shelter as a thank you for participating in the event.  Over 175 women were able to experience this fulfilling day of pampering and over 750 brassieres were given out.

We would like to thank the 30 volunteers that helped bring this wonderful event to fruition.  If you would like to donate commonly needed items or services for the Homeless Initiative Program, serving individuals experiencing homelessness in Marion County, please contact HIP at (317) 957-2275.  If you would like to donate brassieres to Rachael’s ongoing project, please mail donations to Rachael at the following address.

Support the Girls-Indianapolis
Attn: Rachael Heger
P.O. Box 30249
Indianapolis, IN 46230

For more information, visit her Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1537273716583636/

To learn more about HealthNet’s Homeless Initiative Program, please click here.

Post by Matt Holland

Dawn was in and out of shelter while Gary was serving some time in jail. She agreed to go to the shelter due to some health concerns and wanting better for her dogs. A representative from the Street Outreach Animal Response Initiative (SOAR) responded to my request to foster Stasha and Oklahoma. She offered to get them updated on their shots and provide them with a safe place to stay. For a while, Stasha and Oklahoma stayed with the SOAR representative. She would send Dawn pictures of the dogs snuggling with her daughter and playing in the backyard. Dawn was happy the dogs were safe but started getting anxious she wouldn’t see them again. She left shelter and asked the representative meet her at the park to give her the dogs. About a week later, I visited her in the park in the blistering heat and asked if she wanted to try doing a foster home again. At first she said no and said she just wanted to be with them. After visiting them again, this time outside of a gas station, Dawn told me she wanted the dogs safe again. When I arranged a new foster, this time with help from a representative at the Alliance for Responsible Pet Ownership (ARPO). Dawn was relieved to see them get in my car. The dogs were both experiencing heat stroke and clearly not feeling well.

When housing finally came through for Gary and Dawn, I was beyond happy to call the foster to arrange a pick up. Dawn and Gary moved all their belongings into their new apartment (one where there were supports in place) and anxiously awaited my visit with the dogs. They wanted everything to be ready when they arrived. Sasha and Oklahoma recognized me and greeted me with kisses. Although they had both lost some weight and looked exhausted, it was clear they had been well cared for. They were definitely ready to see their parents. They hopped into my car without hesitation. They were anxious to see where we were going and cried in the backseat. I brought them to their parents and it was a beautiful reunion.

Without the help and understanding from the representatives at SOAR and ARPO, and the countless resources provided by donors, I am not sure how this story would have ended. All of our lives are complicated. One’s love for their family does not change when their circumstances do. In my experience, people without homes who have pets might even have a stronger bond to them than housed people do. The love and loyalty is there. And it runs deep.

Some people have judgement when they see people on the streets with pets. I’m asking that you understand that life is complicated and choose to have love and compassion instead.

For more information about HealthNet’s Homeless Initiative Program, please click here.

Post by Lillian Herbers-Kelly, MSW, LSW

*Names have been changed

There are many different challenges that our homeless neighbors experience as they connect to services, employment and housing in the Indianapolis community.  Indianapolis has many homeless families that are not in stable  housing. Many of these families include pets. Parenting is stressful enough without the challenges of finding shelter for your family and pets each night.

These pets are often the most consistent avenue for praise, unconditional love and acceptance that homeless families may have.  It does not matter what else is happening in their lives, they can always depend on the love of their pets to provide the emotional support they need.  In the past I have thought, “Why would someone not give up their pet to get into housing?”  As I understand more about homelessness I come to the understanding that that would be like me “giving up my children” so that I could have access to housing options.  No one would require a parent(s) to give their children away to access housing (although this “choice” is sometimes presented to those getting into emergency shelter). So why would we expect someone who receives and gives unconditional love to their pet to do the same?  It may seem like an easy choice to board or give up your pets to get housing stability, but it truly is not.

In my experience, it doesn’t even get to a point of discussion but ends with many of our neighbors saying definitively, “No, that will not work and I choose to stay where I am at with my pet instead.”  That can be hard to understand, but when you do not have the benefits of family and friends to provide a network of support, those pets or family members become extremely important in your daily life. They also provide a therapeutic function as well as providing the love that you seek and find challenging to acquire elsewhere.

If you are interesting in helping our homeless neighbors with pets, please consider donating cat food or dog food. For more information, please contact www.facebook.com/SOARindy (Street Outreach Animal Response Initiative) or the Indianapolis Continuum of Care www.indycoc.org.

For more information about HealthNet’s Homeless Initiative Program, visit www.indyhealthnet.org/HIP.

Post by Matt Holland

Have you thought about what our homeless neighbors deal with as these same conditions bear down on them?  Whether our neighbors are living on the street or in a shelter, many of the same challenges may face them until spring.  Cold weather gear is being checked or in many cases, just sought out.  Stockpiles of non-perishable foods or snacks may be in the process of being gathered so that they can eat as they are on the go via the bus lines to and from their jobs or appointments.  Even a basic such as having water on hand is a critical item that many need to plan strategies around so that they can keep hydrated.

Many medical challenges also may present or persist through this time of year.  Frostbite can either still be in the process of treatment from last winter or may spring back as temperatures drop and warm weather gear and supplies become hard to find.  Trench foot is another condition that our homeless neighbors face as they have wet shoes, socks and feet without the relief of dry socks and shoes in sight.  HIP has Outreach team members that provide support and engagement to our homeless neighbors in conjunction with many partners in the community who form the Indianapolis Professional Blended Outreach Team.  These professionals provide compassionate care, support and relationship building along with basic needs to those that are living on the street.  During the winter months, a key tool is also the city shelters “Winter Contingency Plan” which provides overflow space for those who normally would not seek shelter so that they can have a warm place to sleep when the temperature drops below freezing.  This team is a critical part of the HealthNet Homeless Initiative Program’s strategy to engage our homeless neighbors and provide opportunities for them to gain support and services that they may need.

Below are items our teams are in need of to help those who are homeless. Please consider making a donation of any of the items listed below.  These donations will benefit our homeless neighbors directly as they prepare for winter.

• Blankets
• Socks
• Coats
• Hats/gloves/hand warmers
• Water
• Single serving, easy-to-open, nonperishable food items such as: sports drinks, juice boxes, Vienna sausages, beef sticks, puddings, fruit cups, peanut butter crackers, breakfast bars, instant coffee and individual servings of chips and nuts

You can also make a monetary donation online by visiting www.indyhealthnet.org/Donate.

HealthNet’s Homeless Initiative Program wishes everyone a wonderful and happy holiday season!

Post by Matt Holland

There are some critical needs for our Outreach teams during these months as they try to help those on the streets cope with the weather fluctuations and rain. Heat Stoke and trench Foot are two commonly seen medical conditions which need immediate treatment to minimize the impact on individuals. Shortages in bottled water, rain coats, umbrellas and dry socks are some of the challenges but even items as simple as sunscreen, bug spray and access to poncho’s can make a real difference in our clients ability to cope with severe weather.

Heat stroke is a challenging condition to combat as the symptoms by themselves or in conjunction with others can be related to many different reasons. Some of these symptoms include high body temperature above 104 degrees, altered mental or behavioral state, nausea and vomiting, flushed skin, rapid breathing, racing heart rate and headache.  Many individuals may not realize that they are experiencing many of these together and may chalk it up to just catching a “bug” or being “under the weather.”  For our Outreach team, it is critical to put these indicators together to get a more complete picture of what may be medically going on. The Outreach staff works with a nurse practitioner in the field to help identify these symptoms as well as with the Pedigo Clinic at Horizon House for assessments of those on the street.  If you recognize these or other symptoms in someone, please encourage them to seek medical attention.  We have recently set new records for rain in the month of July for Indianapolis and these challenges will continue to present themselves as those on the street dealing with high heat and large volumes of rain.

Each member of the 14 agency collaborative team has received additional training to identify these and other symptoms that are challenges for those living on the streets. In addition, Outreach teams see many occurrences of Trench foot which is a tingling and/or itching sensation that can include pain, swelling, blotchy skin along with numbness and a heavy feeling in their feet. This typically is a result of being in a wet environment for long periods of time and not having access to dry socks and other foot apparel as shoes. If these symptoms are not treated they can result in even more severe problems such as blisters forming and eventually by skin and tissue dying and falling off. According to a Homeless Health Care Case Report on trench foot published in June 2007, even exposure to temperatures as mild as 55 degrees for ten hours has been shown to cause trench foot.  We have experienced temperatures that flex this low and then go into the 80’s and 90’s during the day with a large amount of rain.  These conditions can present a higher chance of trench foot becoming an issue.  Compounding these factors can be the use of tobacco or alcohol can decrease awareness of these conditions if present in someone’s extremities.  Many of these symptoms can receive interventions ahead of time if some of the items mentioned above are accessible to those with the need.

To assist with these needs and others, please contact HealthNet’s Homeless Initiative Program at (317) 957-2275 or at 1835 N. Meridian St. Indianapolis, IN 46202. Contact can also be made through www.knowoutlets.org directly to the Indianapolis Professional Blended Street Outreach team of which HIP is a partner organization. A comprehensive list of summer and early fall needs can be found below:

• Rain Jackets and Ponchos
• Bottled water
• Sunscreen
• Bug repellent
• Umbrellas
• Dry socks (uni-sex)

Post by Matt Holland

Want to make a difference in the lives of our veterans?

Donate a move-in kit to the veterans coming from the street/shelter to live in an apartment.

HealthNet’s Homeless Initiative Program’s Veteran Grant Per Diem housing program assists veterans off the streets and into an apartment where they can live for up to two years and work on gaining stability.

Many employers drove from opposite ends of the state of Indiana and even as far as Chicago to speak with the local military talent as they search for their leaders of the future.  There are many reasons for seeking out talent from the active and veteran ranks of the different branches of the military.

As an employer, you are probably looking for someone who knows how to be on time, is organized and well-versed in proactive and critical thinking. Active military and Veterans, including their family members, do these things every day and it is ingrained in their routines and practices.  These men and women are a great addition to any industry team as organizations look at where and what they will become in future years.

These service members and families also are extremely well-versed in experiencing and adapting to change which as many of us know, can be extremely stressful in itself.  They offer a complex set of skills that can be incorporated into any industry and under a dynamic set of ever changing circumstances.  They have the ability to think “outside the box” for survival on the battlefield, but also for the survival of their family units. They are extremely creative while still looking at multiple different possible outcomes to move forward on the best course of action.

It is with sometimes a heavy heart that HIP represents veterans and their families at such events. In 2014, HIP served over 400 veterans and their families as they experienced homelessness and created strategies to overcome the immense challenges that they encountered. HIP is honored to work with these families and service members every day. We work with military veterans of different generations helping to provide the services and support that homeless Veterans can count on to work toward self-sufficiency.

As we come up on another Memorial Day, please take time to thank the veterans that you work with, live in your communities or that reside within your families.  They are a critical component of any healthy and vibrant community and should be thanked for the sacrifice that they put forth to provide the freedoms that we all enjoy daily.

To learn more about HealthNet’s Homeless Initiative Program, please visit www.indyhealthnet.org/HIP.

Post by Matt Holland, HealthNet Homeless Initiative Program