Indy homelessness up for the first time since 2021
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The number of people experiencing homelessness in Indianapolis rose 5% in 2024, ending a two-year streak of drops after the city's homeless population climbed to a pandemic-fueled peak three years ago.
Driving the news: The Coalition for Homelessness Intervention and Prevention (CHIP) released the findings of Indy's annual point-in-time count earlier this summer.
- The count is a single-day snapshot required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and informs national priorities and funding decisions related to homelessness.
By the numbers: A total of 1,701 Indianapolis residents slept in a shelter, transitional housing facility or place not meant for human habitation on the night of Jan. 24.
- That's up from 1,619 the year before, but down from the recent high of 1,928 in 2021.
- The total of those surveyed the night of the count who were sleeping outdoors has dropped slightly from 2023 — to 339.
Between the lines: The point-in-time survey is considered an imperfect tool by some advocates, largely believed to undercount the number of people experiencing homelessness.
Plus: Indianapolis' decrease in unsheltered neighbors was influenced by the weather on the night of the count, according to CHIP.
- Individuals who usually sleep outdoors sought shelter because of rain and cold.
- Multiple outdoor locations had evidence of people living there, but no one was home on the night of the count.
Zoom in: Black residents remain overrepresented in the data. 53% of those included in the count were Black, even though they make up just about 30% of Marion County's population.
- After the 2023 PIT, the Indianapolis Continuum of Care Blueprint Council announced an 18-month goal to reduce the number of Black people experiencing homelessness in Indy by 35% by 2025.
- The report showed a drop of just 7% from 2023 to 2024.
What they're saying: While sharing the results with an audience of concerned residents at The Athenaeum in June, CHIP executive director Chelsea Haring-Cozzi said she firmly believes that homelessness is solvable in Indianapolis.
- "Don't shy away. Face the reality and ask yourself, 'What can I do? Where is my influence that I can help advance this work?"
What we're watching: Indy's first low-barrier homeless shelter is set to open in the 1000 block of East Georgia Street by 2026.
- The state and city have committed about $22 million toward the project.