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Mayor Hogsett, local leaders kicking off Homeless Point-In Time Count

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – Mayor Joe Hogsett joined local leaders Wednesday afternoon to kick off the 2017 Homeless Point-In-Time Count at Horizon House.

Hogsett joined members of the Indianapolis Continuum of Care, community volunteers, and the Office of Public Health and Safety to count the number of homeless people sheltered and unsheltered in Indianapolis.

The count allows local providers the opportunity to help those who are in need. It is also crucial in decreasing and ending homelessness in the city.

The annual count also allows Indianapolis to receive funding under the Department of Housing and Urban Developments Continuum of Care grant program.

The event follows Hogsett’s announcement that Indianapolis will receive $5 million from HUD. The money will go toward “rapid re-housing, mental health and addiction, trauma, and a loss of self-sufficiency.”

“Following the kick off, 22 teams will travel to emergency shelters, transitional housing programs, encampments, and other places not meant for human habitation to conduct the count,” according to a release from Mayor Joe Hogsett’s office.

The kit includes socks, gloves, a bus pass, and food to each person who is counted.

The event kicked off at 4:45 p.m.

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