Heading Home of South Central Indiana’s Streets to Stability initiative has launched in downtown Bloomington, bringing rental assistance, case management and other interventions to address unsheltered homelessness.
The initiative, announced in a June press release, connects organizations focused on solving homelessness with funding and assistance from city and county government, local businesses, philanthropic groups, health care and faith communities.
Bloomington Township trustee Efrat Rosser said Heading Home takes the lead in communicating with recipients, partnering with landlords and leasing agents and identifying funding sources.
Executive Director Mary Morgan said several communities, including Indianapolis, have been implementing this method to address homelessness for about a year.
Streets to Stability is based on Clutch Consulting Group’s Direct to Housing Encampment Response model. According to the press release, Clutch Consulting held a two-day workshop in early June hosted by Heading Home and attended by government staff, elected officials, service providers and law enforcement.
The approach focuses resources on a single encampment or zone for four to six weeks, connecting residents to support and resources, according to the press release. Areas are then “closed and restored” to return to public use.
According to Clutch Consulting Group’s website, 85% of people who use its services do not return to homelessness within 12 months. The press release states in Cleveland partners used the approach to close 53 encampments and house 177 individuals in eight months.
Indiana law Senate Enrollment Act 285 took effect July 1, making it illegal to camp, sleep or live on land owned by state or local government unless the land has been authorized for that purpose. This law added urgency to the long-standing issue of homelessness in Monroe and other Indiana counties.
Rosser, who provides individuals and households with emergency support services, said that the law spurred the community to accelerate work that was already underway.
“The work started several weeks ago with the first zone approach and that’s done tremendous success in terms of individuals that are housed, who haven’t had that opportunity in years, some of them,” Rosser said.
There were about 19 individuals identified as living outside in the first zone clearing, Rosser said. Some were moved into stable housing, and some to care facilities.
The initiative aims to provide services like long-term housing, a year-long rental subsidy and individualized support, according to the press release.
The resources include support such as health care and behavioral health services, Morgan said.
Recipients work with a case manager before and after housing placement to make the transition successful, Morgan said, and Heading Home has staff working on both outreach and stabilization for residents who are housed.
Monroe County gave about $162,000 to the initiative, Morgan said, and the City of Bloomington is funding the initiative through a tenant-based rental assistance program. Heading Home also receives financial support from Community Solutions, a nonprofit it’s worked with for several years through its Built for Zero program, which aims to reduce homelessness through affordable housing and faster paths to housing.
Bloomington Mayor Kerry Thomson, who serves on the Heading Home board, said that Streets to Stability differs from previous approaches by closing zones one at a time and progressing through the downtown area first. Thomson added that each person sleeping in these areas will get help, rather than the interventions focusing on those whose needs are most critical.
“What’s really important about the success of Streets to Stability is not just getting people into housing but making sure that we follow along with them with case management that’s very intensive and that they’re meeting all of their needs so they can really get back up on their feet to the greatest extent possible,” Thomson said.
County Council member Trent Deckard said the county should be a leading voice in addressing unsheltered homelessness.
“The fact that it’s collaborating with other entities, it’s a strong difference from where we’ve been in the past,” Deckard said. “We’re at the table with others, and not just by ourselves. And I think that’s the county being smarter than ever before.”
Heading Home also plans to expand Streets to Stability throughout Monroe County and as a regional initiative, Morgan said.
