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INDIANAPOLIS — The Marion County Prosecutors Office is emphasizing that housing instability is common. That is for people who were involved in the criminal justice system, including those who are facing charges or victims who lack stable housing.
Prosecutor Ryan Mears in Marion County is connecting people who service providers, including Horizon House and HealthNet’s Homeless Initiative Program.
“We can draw a straight line to the criminal justice system when people don’t have housing,” Prosecutor Mears says. “By addressing housing and other basic needs, this program will reduce repeat offenses and provide a foundation for individuals to rebuild their lives, rather than a revolving door to nowhere.”
Mears says it’s important to secure housing for those people, especially in breaking cycles of homelessness, mental health issues, and drug addictions in Indianapolis.
“While our city leaders continue to ponder the merits of Housing First, a decades-old, data-driven solution, proven to solve homelessness at significant cost savings, Prosecutor Mear’s office is doing it,” Rabbi Aaron Spiegel of the Greater Indianapolis Multifaith Alliance says. “Permanent secure housing with services ends homelessness, and removing the barriers to housing is the first step to getting people housed. True leadership comes from the courage to embrace change in the face of “doing things like we’ve always done it.”