No matter where you find it, homelessness is complicated. It touches men and women and teens and families of all cultures and backgrounds.
Some who live on the street face mental health challenges. Some are victims of domestic violence or unstable finances. Over the course of one year as many as 8,000 people experience homelessness Indianapolis. While most are in shelters or transitional housing, we know we have homeless individuals living unsheltered, and not by choice.
At the Coalition for Homelessness Intervention & Prevention (CHIP), our job is to work as an intermediary for groups and individuals to create a more systemic and effective approach towards ending homelessness.
As part of this effort, we’ve initiated the Know Outlets campaign—with the leadership of Downtown Indy and the support of numerous local business and individuals—to educate people in Indianapolis on the outlets available to support our homeless population in order to improve their lives in the most meaningful ways possible.
Through research and more than plenty anecdotal evidence, we know that many people would like to help but are often uncertain of how to best support people living on the streets.
That’s where Know Outlets comes in. If you’ve seen our site or one of our donation boxes or meters, you already know that you can feel confident in your giving through this campaign.
When you support Know Outlets, you can be sure that your money directly benefits those experiencing homelessness that live unsheltered. Funds support services provided through the Professional Blended Outreach Street Team, an organized group made up of 43 professionals from 16 organizations including local law-enforcement, nonprofits, and health and mental health entities.
The Outreach Street Team serves as the front line of service for our homeless. And in addition to providing basic food and supplies such as eyeglasses and blankets, the Team works to build a relationship with each person encountered.
These more established relationships allow for the Outreach Team to connect individuals and families with services that will best meet their needs and with the resources needed to transition them into permanent housing.
Outreach Team members are on the streets weekly Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Tuesday and Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Over the course of a year, they interact with close to 700 different individuals in Indianapolis.
With access to more funds, the Outreach Team would be about help even more individuals and families reach the necessary services to return them to self-sufficiency. And that, in a nutshell, is what Know Outlets is about, empowering the people of Indianapolis to provide trusted, professional support for our homeless.
If you’d like to find out more, check out knowoutlets.org and chipindy.org.
