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.

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

Consequently, as those tasks get completed it is a wonderful time to remember those in greater need than ourselves.

Donations of many kinds impact people in ways that we can not even imagine. Of course, monetary donations are always great as they typically have more flexibility associated with how they are used but also donations of clothing, shelf stable and non perishable food, hygiene items for men and women along with warm winter clothing all are in critical shortages this winter season. In Indianapolis as many as 8,000 individuals may experience homelessness within a given year and many of these individuals do not have the basic needs that are necessary for daily life.

The Homeless Initiative Program is committed to serving these individuals in our community who need assistance by providing Triage/Outreach services, intensive Case Management, medical support to our communities homeless shelters as well as Employment and Training services for those in the search for a career or their next step in the employment process. These basic items listed can go along way to ensuring that these basic needs are able to be met so that each individual served can continue on their path to self sufficiency and reduces the anxiety that many times comes along with not having these items.

If you wish to contribute in any way including volunteering, please contact the Homeless Initiative Program at (317) 957-2275 or drop your donations off at 1835 N. Meridian St. Indianapolis, IN 46202. To donate online using our safe, secure online giving options, please click here.

We appreciate the exceptional support that our communities provide to these individuals in need and hope you have a wonderful Holiday season.

Items in need:

• Gloves, hats, and scarves
• Wool socks to avoid frostbite
• Hand warmer packs
• Foot warmer packs
• Jeans/long pants for men or women
• Sweatpants/sweatshirts for men and women
• Coats for Adults
•  Blankets