Day center a ‘micro solution’ to homelessness
INDIANAPOLIS (MIRROR INDY) — Tucked in the basement of a west side church is a modest space where people experiencing homelessness can do laundry, take a shower, grab some food and rest.
Westside New Day Center operates out of West Morris Street Free Methodist Church. It’s open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mondays and Tuesdays through Door 13 at the back of the church.
Day centers exist to meet people’s basic needs and give them a safe place to relax. Many double as a centralized hub to get people connected to resources such as housing assistance and health care.
Katelyn White, the center’s director, said Westside New Day Center is a place where people experiencing homelessness can feel free and not worry about being labeled.
“Just to be a human and be held in that,” she said, “that’s huge.”
The roughly 1,500-square-foot area includes tables, chairs, a futon, games, art and lockers. There’s a kitchen, two showers and a laundry room where White said some of the most emotional conversations happen as people work through difficulties in their life.
The day center is an intimate space, where White hopes guests feel comfortable enough to let their guard down.
But she also understands it’s a small part of a solution to a much larger problem.
A ‘micro solution’
The day center averages about 15 people per day, White said. The busiest day saw 30 people come through the doors.
That’s a small percentage of the people experiencing homelessness who need help with food, shelter and other necessities.
In January, when volunteers conducted a census of those experiencing homelessness, they counted 1,701 people. That’s more than last year and still higher than pre-pandemic numbers.
The day center is a “micro solution,” White said, because it can act as a bridge to get people to larger organizations and city programs that have more resources.
That said, White knows there’s more the day center can do. That includes being open more often.
“Our neighbors need the resources every day,” she said, “not just two days out of the week.”
Interested in helping?
Ideally, White said the day center should be open every day and some evenings.
But she said the organization only has the funding to maintain its current operating schedule of four hours per week. And aside from funding, White said the center could always use donations of items such as clothes and deodorant.
If you’re interested in helping, the center has an Amazon wish list.
You also can donate through the church’s website by selecting the day center under the “Give to General Fund” tab.
Mirror Indy reporter Tyler Fenwick covers economics. Contact him at 317-766-1406 or tyler.fenwick@mirrorindy.org. Follow him on X @ty_fenwick.