JOHNSON COUNTY — As the number of youth experiencing homelessness in Indiana continues to rise, a Johnson County program is doing all it can to help with the underlying issues.
According to the Department of Education, more than 14,500 Indiana students were experiencing homelessness last school year.
The Kids in Crisis - Intervention Team program, known as KIC-IT, is working with local schools to combat that issue in Johnson County.
The program focuses on youth and young adults between the ages of 16 and 25 years old, meeting them where they are and equipping them with the resources they need to be successful. Things like food and hygiene projects as well as resources to help teach the youth and young adults what they need to know to be independent and survive on their own.
Paige Bramlett, a youth coach with KIC-IT, has lived in Johnson County her entire life.
She says the program has seen a major increase in youth that need help in Johnson County after recently putting youth coaches in four local high schools.
Bramlett told WRTV's Kaitlyn Kendall she had no idea that homelessness existed in her home county before she started working with the organization.
"I think that is super important and that is a narrative many people could also say here in Johnson County," Bramlett said. "And I'm here to say it does. And it is a very, very large need here in Johnson County."
According to the Indiana Youth Institute, over 200 children were in the foster care system in Johnson County last year and overall youth homelessness was up 3.5% in the state.
"A lot of people believe, I know I did... that troubled teens were just dropped off here, and that's not the case," she said. "A lot of the youth that we serve, I would say 90% of those youth, walk in themselves asking for help and resources, which is incredibly sad, but also incredibly amazing and vulnerable."
When talking about homelessness, many people immediately think of a person living on the streets or in a shelter, but that isn't always the case.
"It can be anywhere from couch hopping and couch surfing to truly homeless and living, you know, on the streets or not knowing where they're going to be," Bramlett said. "That is really our focus here at KIC-IT, is meeting these youth and serving the clients needs. Not a one size fits all."
Jay Wheeler was once one of those teens.
"It's scary," Jay Wheeler told WRTV's Kaitlyn Kendall. "It's uncertain, like you don't know where you're going to be or you don't feel safe. I've been homeless for a while. I grew up homeless so my family, they kind of went through substance abuse and they weren't able to provide a healthy, happy home for me."
"You don't get to clean yourself as much so you don't really have hygiene," Wheeler said. "I didn't get to go to school as much. Like, I skipped like five years of school because of homelessness. So it was a lot of inconsistency."
She says if it weren't for KIC-IT, she would not be where she is today. Now 22, she has a job and a stable roof over her head.
"It's one of the only places that I have ever felt safe and comfortable in, which is kind of strange because I've never really had that before," Wheeler said.
KIC-IT says they are always needing donations to help with serving youth experiencing homelessness.
Last year the program served more than 100 kids in Johnson County.
For more information about the program and how you can help, visit their website.
