Indy Receives Funding for Rapid Re-Housing Services
One out of five Indianapolis residents face food insecurity. (stock image courtesy: Pixabay/Leroy Skalstag)
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowThe city of Indianapolis has received federal funding for rapid re-housing services for those experiencing homelessness. Mayor Joe Hogsett says the $7.1 million in CARES Act funding will provide up to 12 months of rental assistance and services with the goal of helping people obtain housing quickly, increase self-sufficiency and stay housed long-term.
Hogsett’s office says the services are being offered without preconditions such as employment, income, absence of criminal record or sobriety. The program aims to tailor the resources and services to the needs of each individual participant.
The mayor says the funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will be a “significant boost” to the city’s existing COVID-19 relief and homelessness prevention efforts.
The funding will be administered by Carmel-based Merchants Affordable Housing Corp. with support from the Coalition for Homelessness Intervention and Prevention.
“Living unhoused is incompatible with staying healthy and safe in the midst of this public health crisis. We have an amazing opportunity to leverage this funding and the dedication of our provider community to secure and support hundreds of households through permanent housing,” said Chelsea Haring-Cozzi, executive director of CHIP. “Creating a rehousing infrastructure with Merchants Affordable Housing will allow our partners to do this work at scale and to build a robust way of expanding inventory, identifying units, and engaging with landlords.”
Haring-Cozzi says 90% of those housed in rapid re-housing programs remain housed after two years and do not return to homelessness. She says the program will be done in partnership with existing work to address homelessness in Indianapolis.
“Part of the work does require engaging individuals who are currently experiencing homelessness that may have barriers, that may be struggling with mental health issues, that may be struggling with addiction, to develop those relationships and to be able to work with people coming into housing. So it requires robust work of service providers and street outreach teams to engage with individuals, meet them where they are and then be able to offer opportunities for housing.”
Haring Cozzi says the program will cover all of Marion County and won’t be restricted to certain areas. She says the goal is to get as many landlords involved as possible to increase the number of housing options.
“Housing is a piece of this puzzle but housing in and of itself is not the solution. So having robust supportive services is another key piece that we’ve worked over the last several years in partnership with the city and the Central Indiana Community Foundation to build up the Housing to Recovery Fund. That fund will be leveraged alongside this program to bring more robust and intensive services to support people not only in getting housing, but maintaining housing.”
She says those additional services include employment or re-employment resources, expanding income support, substance abuse treatment, mental health services, and primary care services.
The city says rental assistance will make up 70% of the program with supportive services and administrative costs taking up 20% and 10% of the remaining funding, respectively.
Chelsea Haring-Cozzi explains how the program works.