Mayor Joe Hogsett Announces Update on Housing to Recovery Fund

$650,000 to Horizon House will provide permanent supportive housing to 120 households who were previously homeless for one year

Today, Mayor Joe Hogsett joined Horizon House executive director Teresa Wessel and Central Indiana Community Foundation (CICF), president and CEO Brian Payne to announce the first grant award from the Housing to Recovery Fund. Horizon House will receive $560,000 to expand the capacity of their housing navigation and intensive case management services, with the option to receive an additional $90,000 once agreed-upon outcomes are achieved, for a total of $650,000. The funding will support permanent supportive housing for 120 individuals or families who were previously homeless for a one-year period.

“Last year, we announced this fund as a resource to financially support permanent solutions to long-term homelessness in our city. By this, we meant nothing less than the end of chronic homelessness in Indianapolis.,” said Mayor Hogsett. “This remains our goal. It is through the services provided alongside permanent housing that we see the most benefit for individuals and families. That means fewer interactions with law enforcement; fewer visits to the emergency room for health care; and greater overall housing stability.”

“We know Black and Brown families are disproportionately affected by homelessness and the systems that lead them there. We have to do better in every way across our community to decrease—and ultimately eliminate—racial disparities across housing…”

The Housing to Recovery Fund was launched in January 2019, with the intention of raising $4 million for services to help sustain permanent housing, with the ultimate goal of ending chronic homelessness in Indianapolis. The fund uses a performance-based funding model, with additional resources contingent on benchmarks focused on increased housing stability, decreased involvement with the criminal justice system, and better health outcomes. Additional partners include the Coalition for Homeless Intervention and Prevention, the Corporation for Supportive Housing, and Cindy Collier Consulting.

“The demonstrated success of Horizon House over the past two years in keeping people stably housed is centered on meeting and supporting individuals and families where they are. Providing customized case management services to help newly-housed neighbors navigate a new beginning is what has been successful. We are scaling this success within Horizon House first and then will look to duplicate this success across the City,” said CICF president and CEO, Brian Payne. “The work supported through the Housing to Recovery Fund is in direct alignment with our mission to make this a community where all individuals have equitable opportunity to reach their full potential—no matter place, race or identity. We know Black and Brown families are disproportionately affected by homelessness and the systems that lead them there. We have to do better in every way across our community to decrease—and ultimately eliminate—racial disparities across housing, education, living wage jobs, health care and so much more.”

Horizon House’s Housing Support Program began in early 2018 in response to Mayor Hogsett’s challenge to create 400 new units of permanent supportive housing (PSH) in Indianapolis. Since its inception, Horizon House’s program has provided housing navigation and intensive case management services for individuals and families experiencing chronic homelessness and high vulnerability scores referred from the Indianapolis Continuum of Care Coordinated Entry System. To date, Housing Choice Vouchers preferenced for households experiencing homelessness from the Indianapolis Housing Agency have provided the rental assistance for all households.

“Horizon House is so honored to be a part of Housing First in Indianapolis.,” said Horizon House Executive Director Teresa Wessel. “By embracing the challenge and putting together an award-winning program, we have had a front-row seat to life transformation for so many of our neighbors. These are individuals from our city who had the most challenging obstacles to overcome of chronic illness, chronic homelessness, and need of intense supports. We are incredibly grateful to now have this funding through the city and CICF to continue and grow the work. We will see even more of the most vulnerable have the dignity of a home.”

Learn more about the Housing to Recovery Fund

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