Housing to Recovery

The Housing to Recovery fund was established in 2019 as a partnership between the City of Indianapolis and CICF.  Acknowledging the time has come for a more permanent solution to our homelessness crisis, the City, CICF, Coalition for Homelessness Intervention and Prevention (CHIP), and Corporation for Supportive Housing joined together to loudly call for a “housing-first” model in our community.  Housing-first is a proven approach in many cities across the country that verifies providing permanent supportive housing—without barriers or requirements—can end homelessness, not just manage it. Permanent supportive housing includes an apartment, a financial/rental subsidy, and ongoing, intensive supportive services such as case management, behavioral and medical health navigation, addiction counseling, family supports, etc.

With support from Housing to Recovery fund, Horizon House has piloted this approach with great success.  Here are some statistics from Horizon House’s recent outcomes report:

• 128 individuals who were formerly homeless—most considered “chronic” as having been homeless for more than 2 years and have a coexisting condition (mental health, addiction, chronic illness, etc.)—started in their program. and 98% have remained housed for nearly 2½ years (the national average is ~80% housing stability in similar programs)
• Of the 128 individuals, the year before they were housed there were at least 36 interactions with local law enforcement. Currently, there have been only three interactions with the same 128 people since they’ve been housed and in the Horizon House program.  And, 31% of the housed population had a record of prior incarceration before entering the program and NONE have a record with the Indiana Department of Corrections since starting the program two years ago.
• All but four of the 128 individuals have been signed up for health insurance and are using primary care services and not reliant on using emergency medical and emergency room services. The initial data reports this population has had 102 physical health and 119 behavioral health appointments since starting the program. Many of these would either not have happened at all or been emergency room visits.
• The average cost estimate per person living unsheltered and interacting with law enforcement and emergency medical services is over $30,000 per year of public taxpayer services. It is costing between $5,000-6,000 per person, per year to provide these intensive wrap-around services to the 128 individuals in the Horizon House pilot.

The Housing to Recovery fund investments and the housing-first approach is working. With homelessness rates going up due to COVID and with the national moratorium on evictions ending, the time to scale this program is now. We need to collectively invest in systems change across our community and truly end homelessness in Indianapolis.

CICF is committed to raise $10 million for Housing to Recovery.

Support this important work with an investment into the Housing to Recovery fund.

If you are interested in learning more or contributing to the Housing to Recovery fund, please contact Rob MacPherson at RobM@cicf.org or Leroy Robinson at LeroyR@cicf.org.