The more awareness of the issues surrounding homelessness and the solutions laid out in the Blueprint, the greater chance of success the community has in realizing the goals of the 10-year plan. Stay informed of the issues by checking for updated media coverage and subscribing to the CHIP newsletter. And find ways you can be involved by attending community events.

Blueprint Implementation Plan

The Blueprint to End Homelessness is a comprehensive framework for a more effective homeless assistance system in Indianapolis; however, it lacks specific process steps and benchmarks to convert the existing system to the Blueprint vision. Providers and funders recognized the need for a concrete and detailed strategy with specific benchmarks and want to better understand how Blueprint implementation may require adjustments and changes within their individual programs. CHIP is working with providers and funders to respond to these needs. By September of this year, we intend to develop a detailed strategy for change, including identifying the resources necessary to make change possible.

Over the past year, CHIP has been working closely with staff from Abt Associates, Inc. to move forward with a conversion strategy to implement the vision of the Blueprint to End Homelessness. As part of the conversion process, Abt is providing technical assistance, analysis, and facilitation to support CHIP with this effort.

The first step in the process was to create a Program Models Matrix (PMM), which describes the types of programs that will be needed in the future homeless assistance system in order to achieve the goals of the Blueprint. Some of those programs already exist in the current system and some need to be expanded or added. The matrix is divided into several sections that describe the different components of the homeless assistance system: Prevention, Outreach & Engagement Services, Emergency Shelter, Permanent Housing, and Wraparound Supportive Services. The purpose of the matrix is twofold: first, it is meant to describe how each component fits into achieving the larger goals of the system and the Blueprint; and second, it will define how each component of the system should work in order for the entire system to be effective.

Click here to download a copy of the draft Program Models Matrix, last revised on 8/28/06. Please check this page frequently for updates to the PMM.

Public Services Utilization Cost Study

CHIP contracted with Dr. Eric Wright of the School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Center for Health Policy, IUPUI, to complete a cost study that would estimate public health care and criminal justice-related expenditures for serving homeless individuals who are “frequent users” of public services. Many of these individuals are also persons with significant mental health and/or substance use-related challenges. The study included 96 individuals over 3 years (1/03 – 1/06). The study concluded that Marion County and the City of Indianapolis expends $5,912 - $15,560 in the public health and criminal justice systems to respond to needs of the average homeless person with mental illness and/or substance abuse issues. The homeless census estimates approximately 500 individuals fit into this category annually in our community, suggesting an annual expenditure of between $3 – 7.8 million to Marion County and the City of Indianapolis. These are only costs associated with public health and criminal justice related expenditures and do not include shelter and other emergency services. Click here to download a copy of the report.

ACES Cost Analysis

CHIP contracted with Dr. Eric Wright of the School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Center for Health Policy, IUPUI, to study the impact of the Action Coalition to Ensure Stability (ACES) program. ACES serves chronically homeless individuals with co-occurring mental illness and substance abuse disorders. The analysis of the ACES program demonstrated a 75-percent reduction in public healthcare costs when comparing participants’ pre- and post-enrollment medical charges. These charges accounted for a $9,000 per-person reduction for the 49 ACES clients who were studied. When extrapolated to the entire 121 clients disenrolled from the project after Sept. 1, 2004, the result is an estimated savings of over $1 million. This data, combined with the Public Services Utilization Cost Study results, will be used to support additional funding for housing first/housing plus programs in the community. Click here to download a copy of the report.