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For People and
Families Experiencing
Homelessness, an Indiana Home Is...
Over the course of any given
year, tens of thousands of Hoosiers experience homelessness. How many? If all those homeless
people made up a city, it would likely be larger than Kokomo or Columbus, IN.
It would also
be made up of all kinds of men, women and children who are
experiencing a disaster that's often beyond their control.
It would include people who've lost their jobs through a
changing economy, and their families who are also affected.
It would include people living paycheck to paycheck who
suddenly face an insurmountable unexpected expense and are
made homeless as a result. It would include their children,
who are made homeless, too.
It would include victims of
domestic abuse and violence who can't find a shelter. It
would also include those battling to overcome mental illness
or substance abuse, or those trying ever so hard to overcome
both. And along with these catastrophes are even more
children made homeless, too. And
Yet...
- At least
17 emergency shelters in Indiana have closed in the last three
years due to lack of funds.
- 240,000 low-income Hoosier
households pay rents they can't afford.
- 158,000 Hoosier
households have unaffordable mortgages.
- In 2005 Indiana had
the second highest foreclosure rate in the United States.
- In
2003, Indiana had the second highest rate of bankruptcy in the
United States.
Like all disasters, homelessness is often an
overwhelming wave of problems that aren't easily--or
immediately--solved. For those struggling with mental illness,
poor education (and marketable skills), substance abuse and
other issues, supportive housing that includes onsite
counseling, job training and other assistance programs may be
necessary to both provide a decent living environment and a
platform for returning to the workforce and self-sufficiency.
For others, finding an affordable apartment is a critical first
step in obtaining a job and earning all the benefits that go
with it.
And affordable housing does more than just give the
homeless a decent chance for a better life-- it also reduces
public expenditures for emergency housing or institutional
settings by providing stable living situations for homeless
people and those with special needs--and their children, too.
Click here to find emergency
shelter or to get help with
affordable rental housing. |
