In the spirit of the Olympics, we will be talking about hopes and dreams throughout August – for ourselves, our neighbors, our communities and our city.

We live in a difficult world, a broken world, and life is hard for most people most of the time — particularly for the families we serve.

We all get stuck in moments. And, we all need to be reminded that we aren’t alone in the places we feel stuck. The fears, pains and struggles our patients face are very real. It is our privilege to suggest that hope is real, and that help is real.

 Our health care providers see it happen, in lives changing as people get the help they need.  People sitting across from a therapist for the first time, or seeing a doctor for a condition that has been a nagging concern for years. People making decisions to lead healthier lives, in spite of rock hard circumstances.

We want to say that it’s worth it, that your life is worth fighting for, that it’s possible to change.

What you can expect…

- We will be holding conversations every Monday on Twitter, sharing favorite quotes, questions, and tips for reaching your personal goals and dreams. Lots of info will be shared throughout the entire day.  Look for the hashtag #moxiemonday and TUNE IN!

- We will feature blogs throughout the month from patients and staff who have amazing stories to share about life struggles and long sought-after goals that have become realities.

- Keep a lookout on our Facebook page for FACING FEARS FRIDAY! A giveaway will occur each Friday for those who participate.  Details, again, will be found on our Facebook page the day of the giveaways.

- Want us to keep you updated via email?? We will be sending out eBlasts every week to remind everyone what is going on and how to participate.  Sign up for our eBlasts now by clicking here to receive the Hopes & Dreams emails.

How you can directly help…

If you remember nothing else, please let it be that HealthNet very much needs your help! In order to expand our reach, we need support from people like you who crave to help their community.

If you like what you read in August, we are asking that you please consider forwarding these messages, links, tweets and Facebook posts to friends, family members, and work colleagues. By providing a little education and an easy way to get involved, we believe we can bring new awareness to our cause — especially with your encouragement.

Right now in Marion County, one in 17 of us lives in poverty. It’s a place where every day is hard. And, there is never enough. These families don’t want a hand out. They want a way out.

For the past 44 years, HealthNet has provided wrap-around services to help families do just that. And with your continued help, we can accomplish even more.

The Federal Definition of Homelessness as defined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is written as “an individual who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence,” and “an individual who has a primary nighttime residence” that is

1. “a supervised publicly or privately operated shelter…”
2. “an institution that provides a temporary residence for an individual intended to be institutionalized”
3. “a public or private place not designed for… a regular sleeping accomodation for human beings

________________________________________________________

However, a blog post by Dominic Mapstone for the “End Homelessness” section of change.org about the difference between “houselessness” and “homelessness” made me think further about this federal definition. [You can read the post here]  There is always going to be a need for a federal definition in situations that call for  research and statistics, but as many researchers have seen, homelessness statistics are consistently underscored.  Many times when we think about someone who is homeless, we think about someone without a house.  Mapstone goes further when talking about a family who has lost their house because of a fire, but he states that, “They aren’t homeless! That family still has each other and all their social connectedness and contacts are still intact.”

Homelessness is something more than being without a house.  Homelessness is having no connection, or no support.  I agree with Mapstone when he says that, “housed people experience this loneliness and isolation also.”  Ending homelessness calls for a reconnection between an individual and a community.  Providing OPTIONS and linkage to community resources is key to helping the homeless.

Visit HealthNet’s Homeless Initiative Program page to learn more about the services that are provided for the homeless.  Or, check out our Open Doors with Care page to see how you can continue to help our initiative.

This post was originally published last January,
but I think it is worth a repost!

This is a debate that will go on and on and on because homelessness may never TOTALLY end.  But, as I was reading a blog post on Chang.org’s Poverty in America section, I noticed a good analogy on how we could go about starting to end homelessness.

This blog author, Eric Sheptock, is speaking about ending homelessness in Washington, D.C., and brings up the point that “[Mayor] Fenty focused on housing only the most vulnerable homeless – those who might die if not housed soon. As noble and necessary as this might seem to be, it meant that the more capable homeless who needed the least help in order to become self-sufficient were being ignored and allowed to stagnate in the shelter system.” His analogy to go along with this is that of a leaky pipe.  The first thing you do is not mop the floor or try to fill the crack.  The first thing you do is shut off the water!

When put in perspective with homelessness prevention and ending homelessness, the right way to stop the leak is to help house the more capable homeless.  Housing, first, the homeless who may just need a temporary but stable place to live in order clean up and get a new job.  Or, focusing on the increasing number of homeless families which has become a large part of the homeless population.

There are many tools that can help to stop the leak of capable people becoming homeless.  Tools such as employment training, affordable housing, and case management are a few of the things that HealthNet’s Homeless Initiative Program provides.

You can help support our program by spreading awareness about the need for these options to be sustained or by making a simple $25 donation to HIP and helping us reach our goal of $10K by March 10.

Getting your annual exam is critical, and we want Indianapolis to know that we give a care about women’s health!

In a light-hearted approach to a serious issue, HealthNet’s Whatever you call ‘em, check ‘em breast cancer awareness campaign  encourages women to get their annual breast exam. Seriously, there’s nothing more important taking care of your girls!

What do YOU call ‘em?

If you’re one of our Facebook fans, check out our fun list of names on our Facebook page. Feel free to submit your own entry.

The steps are easy, and in joining this fun conversation, you are showing your community that you give a care!

1. Go to our Facebook page
2. Submit or vote for your favorite name.
3. Encourage your friends to vote for your entry or include their own!
4. Tweet it, blog it, email it, and share it!

Women who are uninsured are less likely to be screened for breast cancer, increasing their risks of dying from this preventable disease.  As a community, we give a care about women’s health and the importance of annual screening mammograms. Helps us spread the word! Together we can build a healthier Indianapolis community!

HAVE FUN WITH US!!

WHATEVER YOU CALL ‘EM, LET US KNOW!

MAKE SURE YOU CHECK ‘EM!

AND HELP US BREAK DOWN THE BARRIERS FOR WOMEN WHO MAY NOT HAVE THE MEANS TO GET REGULARLY SCREENED!

Members from health centers across the state gathered at the Statehouse that afternoon to meet with their designated legislators to advocate for all health centers and encourage the Indiana General Assembly to continue funding for community health centers at no less than $15 million per year. HealthNet staff members met with several legislators and were able to address our needs, as well as educate them on the importance of the services we provide.

Continued state funding will ensure we can successfully address the expected 10 percent annual capacity growth over the next few years. It is imperative we continue to educate and advocate to our legislators the need for continued funding!

Want to know how you can help?
- Learn more about CHC impact from HealthNet’s CEO, Booker Thomas
- Sign up to be a Health Center Advocate
- Get expert advice on health centers from IPHCA
- Read more about HealthNet

Blanket Indy with Care - help support HIP, one of the largest comprehensive service providers for Indiana's homeless population.

This quote ties in well with a story written in a blog post on New York’s Coalition for the Homeless website.  The blog post is written by a woman, Sarah Murphy, who was homeless but helped herself out and found a place to stay at PATH (Prevention Assistance Transitional Housing).  The process when entering PATH is that you stay in a place during an “investigative” period to see if you are able to be housed.  They let you know in a certain period of time whether you are eligible or not.

Consider this – you are homeless.  You are homeless, with a dependent son.  When you are homeless AND have a dependent, the main thing you may need is income. What do you do to gain income? Work!

You can read the entire post above; however, long story short, Ms. Murphy was ruled ineligible and a note was slid under her apartment door while she was at work.  The note said to be at the PATH office no later than 4:35 p.m. to discuss the reason why she was found ineligible.

Ms. Murphy was on the brink of being homeless, with a dependent son, the main thing that she needs is income and must work to do so. Nevertheless, she misses the appointment because she doesn’t get the note until she gets home from work.  Has to take an entire day off work

the next day to be informed that the reason she was ineligible was because they were not able to get a hold of one reference on her application.

For as advanced as we are today, it only takes a slight perfect storm of events for an individual to suddenly not have a place to live. And with our current economy, it’s happening MUCH MORE frequently.

It is easy to find these stories everywhere because people RECOGNIZE bad customer service.  More recognition for GOOD customer service is needed.  Throughout February, we have been posting on our Facebook page, Twitter feed, and website about our Blanket Indy with Care campaign.  Aimed at raising $25,000 for our Homeless Initiative Program (HIP), we want to recognize the GOOD customer service done by HIP staff who are able to help homeless persons find shelter, employment, and support services when needed.  They help the Sarah Murphy’s of Indianapolis, who may need to work during the day to gain income.  Please consider a $5 gift toward our campaign, you can do so by clicking here.  Send this along to your friends and family to help us reach our goal.

Good customer service needs to be recognized just as often as bad customer service.

I get caught thinking this way constantly.  It is hard to wrap your head around what it could be like to have to be on the street or jumping from couch to couch from relative to relative or spending your day finding the shelter that will have a place for you.  I start thinking that all we need to do is to get homeless people back into a home!  Which is the correct step, I have spoken about the housing first approach in earlier posts.  However, it is not the WHOLE staircase.

“The second night I ended up on the floor with a pillow. I hadn’t slept in a bed for 20 years.”

This quote came from an article in The Vancouver Sun, and it tells the story of a homeless man who had lived on the streets for 22 years.  Later on in the article it states that he even went back to the bush to sleep outside because he was so restless at night.

If you read the entire article you will get the point I am trying to convey.  The point is that we need to raise more awareness about the importance of having support services ALONG with affordable housing.  Being homeless is more than just being without a home, people who are homeless for extended periods of time can lose touch with society.  Once they are put back under a roof, like the man in the article, they may still not know what resources are out there to help them keep moving forward.

You can help us change that! Help cover a lot of need in Indianapolis.  HealthNet’s Homeless Initiative Program not only provides housing services, but also employment training, health care, outreach, intensive case management, and rental assistance. BLANKET INDY WITH CARE this February, and help the homeless in our community receive more than just the FIRST step to ending homelessness.

• Pallets of cereal
• Whole wheat pasta and sauce
• Organic canned vegetables and soup
• Several other household items

The Threshold Project is a Shelter Plus Care permanent supportive housing program that was initiated in 2004. It combines supportive housing services with comprehensive case management and job training support. The Threshold Project is a sponsor-based rental assistance program that serves 42 chronically homeless individuals with a disabling condition including serious mental illness, chronic addiction, or a co-occuring disorder.  All 42 individual apartment units are leased at a single site, the Gladstone Building, a property owned and operated by Partners in Housing, a not-for-profit developer.

The Ralph Dowe Legacy Housing Project provides on-going case management and resource coordination for formerly chronically homeless persons transitioning from homelessness to permanent housing and self-sufficiency. Currently, HIP provides services to 16 chronically homeless individuals housed in one-bedroom units in the North Oaks of Broad Ripple apartment community. Using a housing first approach, Dowe clients are moved directly from the streets or emergency shelter into permanent housing. Once they are housed, HIP staff works with them to address the underlying issues of their chronic homelessness.

The donation from Whole Foods Market’s Bag Hunger campaign provided much needed food to those housed in one of our programs. Educating our clients on maintaining a healthy lifestyle is essential to helping them “get back on their feet.” By providing them the opportunity to take part in eating healthy, furthers their success for the future.

You can also help directly by donating to HIP online or raising awareness about resources for the homeless within our community!
Comment below if YOU have an idea on how to BAG HUNGER for those in Indy who need it or know of other resources for the homeless.

It is not a secret that the economy in the United States has been struggling over the last couple years. As Americans, we have been facing one the worst recessions in history. Thousands of people have lost their jobs, homes, and health insurance. In fact, the Census Bureau’s annual report on poverty shows just how tough 2009 was. The increase in the number of Americans living below the poverty level and those without health insurance painted a bleak picture. According to a post on ABC News Online, the uninsured population topped 50 million for the first time – rising to 16.7 percent.  And, the percentage of Americans living in poverty increased to 14.3 percent.

HealthNet has seen a rise in uninsured patients and our providers have struggled to keep up with the demand for quality and accessible health care for those living in poverty. But health care does not just encompass medical care. The need for mental health and counseling services has also increased and HealthNet’s social workers have been working hard to help families simply meet their basic needs. We have witnessed more and more families struggling to keep up in a weak economy and most are seeking guidance and help to provide the basic necessities, such as a roof over their heads, heat in their homes and food on their tables.

Often times, when our families come to our health centers needing medical care, our providers are able to identify other areas of need that, in some cases, is leading to health concerns. For example, a family who has recently lost a job is concerned about making their mortgage payments. They are unable to afford their heating bills, their children are in need of new shoes and uniforms for school, and they are struggling to put food on the table. This added stress can lead to elevated blood pressures, gastrointestinal problems and even increase the risk for abuse and neglect for young children. HealthNet’s social workers engage these families in case management support and are able to direct them to area services such as housing and utility assistance programs, legal aid, and other area organizations who can help them with basic necessities.

We believe that health care goes beyond the medical services we provide. HealthNet’s social workers provide a key element in the wrap around care that we believe treats the whole person, not just their medical conditions.

Join us in the fight to build a healthier Indianapolis community. By contributing $25 to our social services program, you are enabling our social workers to continue providing outreach and case management support to those that need it most. A gift of $25 towards our patient emergency fund helps our social workers provide immediate needs such as food, diapers, school uniforms and utility support while they seek other long-term assistance.  You can help those that have to make the unfortunate decision between heat in there home and medicine for their child.

This blog author, Eric Sheptock, is speaking about ending homelessness in Washington, D.C., and brings up the point that “[Mayor] Fenty focused on housing only the most vulnerable homeless – those who might die if not housed soon. As noble and necessary as this might seem to be, it meant that the more capable homeless who needed the least help in order to become self-sufficient were being ignored and allowed to stagnate in the shelter system.” His analogy to go along with this is that of a leaky pipe.  The first thing you do is not mop the floor or try to fill the crack.  The first thing you do is shut off the water!

When put in perspective with homelessness prevention and ending homelessness, the right way to stop the leak is to help house the more capable homeless.  Housing, first, the homeless who may just need a temporary but stable place to live in order clean up and get a new job.  Or, focusing on the increasing number of homeless families which has become a large part of the homeless population.

There are many tools that can help to stop the leak of capable people becoming homeless.  Tools such as employment training, affordable housing, and case management are a few of the things that HealthNet’s Homeless Initiative Program provides.  Help support our program by spreading awareness about the need for these options to be sustained or by making a simple $25 donation to HIP.