 Homelessness is a mainstream issue that affects the broader community. From a community perspective, homelessness undermines our substantial local investment in other areas such as education, literacy, primary health care, mental health and substance abuse treatment, and job training. We spend considerable amounts of public and private funds on programs designed to help our disadvantaged citizens, but without permanent homes of their own, people are much less likely to succeed in improving their lives.
The damage done by homelessness runs much deeper than just loss of basic shelter. Lack of a safe, affordable home negatively affects almost every aspect of a child's and family's overall health and well-being. Homelessness undermines a child's chances of succeeding in school, increases the chances of health problems, and greatly contributes to the breakup of family.
Preventing and ending homelessness has a positive impact on the quality of life in Indianapolis. It helps to build stronger, more stable families and neighborhoods and reduces the strain on public and private resources such as our emergency health care system. Helping people to regain their housing and become more self sufficient helps our local economy and business districts.
Homeless Count Results
On January 29, 2009, in collaboration with the Center for Health Policy at IUPUI, local homeless programs and organizations, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, and volunteers, CHIP conducted a point-in-time homeless street and shelter count. The count found 1,454 homeless individuals, a slight decrease from 2008. Based on this most recent count, it is estimated that between 4,400 and 7,300 individuals in Marion County experience homelessness during the course of a year.
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