The Marion County Prosecutor’s Office will begin referring certain people involved in the criminal justice system to get help with housing.
The program includes homelessness service providers Horizon House and HealthNet’s Homeless Initiative Program.
Prosecutor Ryan Mears announced the program Oct. 10.
Mears said housing is a common underlying issue for people who face criminal charges or who were victims of crime.
“Each and every single day,” Mears said, “we encounter too many people in our community whose only involvement with the criminal justice system has to do with lack of housing.”
One example, cited by Mears, is when a woman asked him how she was supposed to work on her mental health if she didn’t have a place to sleep at night.
“And that was a very fair point,” he said.
The program, funded by a grant from the Indianapolis Foundation, will help people find a place to live and take care of other barriers in the way of stable housing.
By helping people with housing and getting them connected to other wraparound services, Mears said the ultimate goal is to reduce recidivism.
How it works
When the prosecutor’s office comes across a person — whether a victim or someone accused of a crime — and believes housing is an underlying issue, the office will make a referral to Horizon House.
Referrals will come from the office’s victim advocates and Quality of Life Unit.
After a referral, staff with the Homeless Initiative Program will do an assessment to figure out how to get that person or family into stable housing.
The program will also help people who have found housing but have another barrier standing in the way, such as paying a security deposit and the first month of rent.
Leslie Kelly, director of programs at Horizon House, said the initiative is part of a crisis response that should decrease the risk of getting involved in the criminal justice system.
It’s a problem communities across the country experience, Kelly said.
“Certainly,” she said, “our community is facing that same crisis.”
The initial goal, Mears said, is to serve 30 households or 35 individuals.
Mirror Indy reporter Tyler Fenwick covers housing and labor. Contact him at 317-766-1406 or tyler.fenwick@mirrorindy.org. Follow him on X @ty_fenwick.
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