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

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.

We’re excited to announce that HealthNet has been chosen to participate in this year’s Brackets for Good Tournament.

For me, nothing quite highlights the need that exists in our community like the realization that the number of families experiencing homelessness, as reported in the Indiana University Public Policy Point-in-Time Count, conducted on January 29, 2014, was a 7% increase from 151 families in 2013 to 161 reported in 2014.  This does not include the estimated 3, 027 students in Marion County that identified as living in homeless conditions based on the U.S. Department of Education definition.

This speaks to the often misunderstood population that is typically thought of when homelessness is mentioned.  The perception often is that of the single man or woman on the street who appears to be mentally ill and possibly under the influence of drugs or alcohol.  This has been perpetuated by the media, movies or the person that we see as we navigate around our city whether they are at a highway exit or on a major downtown city street corner.  Although there are individuals that might be homeless that meet these visual expectations, the reality is that families really are the face of homelessness in the greater Indianapolis area.

Another staggering statistic is that 24% of the individuals reporting in the Point-in-Time Count for 2014 identify as Military Veterans.  These two segments of the homeless population together are 41% of our city’s homeless population for just this one night in January. The Indiana University Public Policy Point-in-Time count found that, “Based on national research, estimates suggest that the number who experience homelessness at some point during the year is three to five times the number counted during a point-in-time count.  Using this year’s data and count, an estimated 7,543 to 9,485 (PIT results x 5) individuals in Marion County experience homelessness during the course of a year.”

If this social problem tugs at your heart strings or makes you to want to do more, please contact HealthNet’s Homeless Initiative Program. We are coming up on what is predicted to be another frigid winter and these families and individuals are already anxious about what the weather will bring as we transition into the next season.  I ask you, is this not the right time to put back just a fraction of your gratitude into the community in which you live? You can also reach out to one of the emergency shelters or homeless service providers in Indianapolis and ask what volunteer or donation needs they might have.

For more information or for other ways to get involved, contact Matt Holland (mholland1@iuhealth.org) at HealthNet’s Homeless Initiative Program by calling 317-957-2275 Ext. 4006 or visit us online at www.indyhealthnet.org. To make an online donation to HealthNet’s Homeless Initiative Program, please click here.

Post by Matt Holland

Source: Indiana University Public Policy Institute, 2014 HUD Point-in-Time Count:  Homelessness in Indianapolis June 2014 http://policyinstitute.iu.edu/uploads/PublicationFiles/HomelessCount_2013_WEB.pdf

One of the most poignant stories reflecting that sacrifice is the story of Pat Tillman, a former NFL player for the Arizona Cardinals who after 9/11 decided to forgo the financial stability and fame that being a professional athlete provides and serve his country.  From what I have read, Pat did this not to gain notoriety or additional recognition, but because he felt a draw to serve his country and protect his country from those that had just perpetrated the largest murder of civilian’s in our nation’s history.  By all accounts, Pat was a superb solider, comrade and leader who unfortunately died as a result of a friendly fire incident while he was serving with his unit in Afghanistan. Thursday, November 6^th would have been Pat Tillman’s 38^th birthday and I am sure that his family misses him every day but knows that he died protecting and fighting for a cause that he believed in.

Recently, it has become very popular to attach ourselves to veteran’s issues. Our veterans remain a population that gives up so much to do what they feel is right that we need to not only provide recognition on nationally recognized holidays such as Veterans Day, but also provide the support and services necessary the other 364 days a year.

HealthNet’s Homeless Initiative Program serves all segments of the homeless population but has and will continue to serve a large portion of Indianapolis’s homeless veterans.  In 2013, HIP served 2,868 clients, 466 of those individuals were veterans.  Of those 466 homeless veterans, 136 were housed in one of our veteran housing programs including intensive case management to work on supportive goal building and achievement.

HealthNet’s Homeless Initiative Program veteran housing program has enrolled 119 veterans in 2014.  Indiana has the nation’s 4th largest National Guard of the 50 states. As more Indiana veterans become homeless, supporting our nation’s heroes will continue to be an important role. Every day, especially Veterans Day, HealthNet thanks those who are currently or who have served our country and their families for their courage, support and sacrifice.

For more information about HealthNet’s Homeless Initiative Program or to make a donation, please visit www.indyhealthnet.org. 

Post by Matt Holland