Local organizations contribute to drop in homelessness
Brooke Kemp / December 1, 2018 3:30 p.m.
Justice Amick, NEWS 233: A picture of the YWCA in Muncie, Indiana.
The Muncie Action Plan for 2018 reported a “significant” drop in homelessness in the Muncie community. While there were 131 homeless people reported in Muncie, Indiana, in 2017, 102 were reported in 2018.
Whether it’s because of domestic violence, job loss, mental health or addiction, there is a range of reasons as to why someone may become homeless. Furthermore, there are a number of reasons why someone who is homeless may struggle to break the cycle of homelessness.
Research conducted by the National Coalition for the Homeless has shown a correlation between substance abuse and homelessness because having an addictive disorder tends to “disrupt relationships with family and friends and often cause people to lose their jobs.”
In fact, homelessness is such a slippery slope to fall victim to that just one issue — like severe mental illness — can lead to any number of combinations of a series of events — such as drug abuse, loss of job and finally homelessness.
Escaping domestic violence or sexual trauma are factors that can lead to both homelessness and addiction, and in 2017, the Addiction Center reported that one-third of women who are homeless have abused heroin and crack cocaine.
The Addiction Center also reported that not only are children whose parents abuse drugs more likely to abuse them themselves, but “youth with substance abuse issues are much more vulnerable to long-term substance abuse and untreated co-occurring disorders which follow them into adulthood.”
Growing up in a homeless family is also among the Addiction Center’s list of factors that contribute to youth substance abuse.
In Muncie, organizations such as the Muncie Mission, the YWCA, United Way and Bridges Community Services are working to help not only give the homeless shelter, but also set them on the path of being able to have a permanent place to stay.
For example, the YWCA, which seeks to serve as a voice for women’s issues ranging from civil rights to empowerment within communities, has offered a residential program “to provide safe housing services to women and children” since 1911, according to its website.
Today, the YWCA’s services specific to combating homelessness have expanded to include a complimentary, overnight, temporary shelter stay (C.O.T.S.) program, an emergency shelter, second phase housing and permanent housing support and advocacy.
Organizations such as these are all part of the Homeless Provider’s Network (HPN) in Muncie. As part of the HPN, the groups work together to combat homelessness and the causes of it through combining their efforts on projects.
The organizations also contribute to the city’s action plan, which is created annually to “express the values and aspirations” of the community, according to the Muncie Action Plan website. The action plan outlines everything from resources to goals for the year and often includes a section on how to address problems throughout the community, such as homelessness.
This mission and an overall drop in the amount of people who are homeless are not limited to the Muncie community, however.
In the state of Indiana, there are typically 5,438 homeless people on any given night, according to data gathered by the National Alliance to End Homelessness in 2017. This number has dropped from the 6,259 reported homeless in 2012.
Of those people, the National Alliance to End Homelessness reported that 1,815 are people in families and 294 are unaccompanied children and youth — which is also down from 2,943 homeless in families and 687 unaccompanied children in 2012. Only 569, however, are unsheltered, and with the help of local organizations throughout the state, the number will continue to drop.
Whether it’s because of domestic violence, job loss, mental health or addiction, there is a range of reasons as to why someone may become homeless. Furthermore, there are a number of reasons why someone who is homeless may struggle to break the cycle of homelessness.
Research conducted by the National Coalition for the Homeless has shown a correlation between substance abuse and homelessness because having an addictive disorder tends to “disrupt relationships with family and friends and often cause people to lose their jobs.”
In fact, homelessness is such a slippery slope to fall victim to that just one issue — like severe mental illness — can lead to any number of combinations of a series of events — such as drug abuse, loss of job and finally homelessness.
Escaping domestic violence or sexual trauma are factors that can lead to both homelessness and addiction, and in 2017, the Addiction Center reported that one-third of women who are homeless have abused heroin and crack cocaine.
The Addiction Center also reported that not only are children whose parents abuse drugs more likely to abuse them themselves, but “youth with substance abuse issues are much more vulnerable to long-term substance abuse and untreated co-occurring disorders which follow them into adulthood.”
Growing up in a homeless family is also among the Addiction Center’s list of factors that contribute to youth substance abuse.
In Muncie, organizations such as the Muncie Mission, the YWCA, United Way and Bridges Community Services are working to help not only give the homeless shelter, but also set them on the path of being able to have a permanent place to stay.
For example, the YWCA, which seeks to serve as a voice for women’s issues ranging from civil rights to empowerment within communities, has offered a residential program “to provide safe housing services to women and children” since 1911, according to its website.
Today, the YWCA’s services specific to combating homelessness have expanded to include a complimentary, overnight, temporary shelter stay (C.O.T.S.) program, an emergency shelter, second phase housing and permanent housing support and advocacy.
Organizations such as these are all part of the Homeless Provider’s Network (HPN) in Muncie. As part of the HPN, the groups work together to combat homelessness and the causes of it through combining their efforts on projects.
The organizations also contribute to the city’s action plan, which is created annually to “express the values and aspirations” of the community, according to the Muncie Action Plan website. The action plan outlines everything from resources to goals for the year and often includes a section on how to address problems throughout the community, such as homelessness.
This mission and an overall drop in the amount of people who are homeless are not limited to the Muncie community, however.
In the state of Indiana, there are typically 5,438 homeless people on any given night, according to data gathered by the National Alliance to End Homelessness in 2017. This number has dropped from the 6,259 reported homeless in 2012.
Of those people, the National Alliance to End Homelessness reported that 1,815 are people in families and 294 are unaccompanied children and youth — which is also down from 2,943 homeless in families and 687 unaccompanied children in 2012. Only 569, however, are unsheltered, and with the help of local organizations throughout the state, the number will continue to drop.