INDIANAPOLIS — Indianapolis is seeing an overall increase in the number of people experiencing homelessness, but the most recent numbers show there are fewer veterans on the streets.
Darrell Johnson is an Army veteran. A couple years ago he lost money on a land contract leaving him and his wife with no place to live. He found out about Helping Veterans and Families.
"We have an affordable home that we’ve been in now about 8 months. Credit cards are down, we’re living a normal life," said Johnson.
Each year, the Department of Housing and Urban Development does a Point in Time Count to get an idea of how many people are experiencing homelessness in Indianapolis.
The count showed an increase in the overall population with more than 1,700, but the number of veterans decreased by 7%. The count showed there are 170 homeless veterans in Marion County.
"I think the solution is simple but not easy. The solution is housing, so we have been focusing a lot of efforts on providing permanent housing to veterans who need it most," said Emmy Hildebrand, the CEO of HVAF.
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"Once you get the guys in, it's not how you talk to them, but how you make them feel. We're military guys, very independent. It feels like a hand out, it’s a terrible feeling but once you get past that, I feel like they’re really trying to help me," said Johnson.
Hildebrand says she's encouraged by the numbers, but there are issues with racial disparity among veterans experiencing homelessness. 53% of them are African American.
"We're working really hard to erase that disparity so there’s equal access to all of our programs and the services equitable," said Hildebrand.
