Indy Homeless Connect
(317) 472-7640
ehervey@chipindy.org
Please register before 12/31/2010
About CHIP
The Coalition for Homelessness Intervention and Prevention of Greater Indianapolis (CHIP) is a nonprofit agency created in 1996 to advocate for homeless and near-homeless people in Indianapolis and to help organizations that serve them work together to foster an effective, coordinated community-wide approach toward ending homelessness. By coordinating efforts, lives can be turned around, cities can be made healthier, and dollars can be stretched to better serve more people. CHIP is not a provider of services to homeless and near-homeless persons. Rather, it is a focal point and a resource for service providers.
Those experiencing financial or housing crisis for the first time may
not know what services are available or may feel uneasy asking for help.
Opportunities to help:
- Indy Homeless Connect
Last year more than 960 people experiencing homelessness or in housing crisis were served at the 4th annual Indy Homeless Connect. Homeless adults and children receive access to free services such as health services, vision care, legal assistance, housing referrals, employment assistance and specialty services such as haircuts, free long distance calls, Internet access, book give-away, veteran services, identification cards, birth certificates, mainstream benefit applications and massage. More than 450 volunteers and 50 agencies worked together to make it happen.
- Indy Resource Connect
This new program of regular events provides at-risk households in crisis with the resources they need to avoid becoming homeless and to remain independent. Areas of focus include preventative services such as:
- employment services
- financial education
- mortgage foreclosure
- credit counseling
- utilities and township trustee assistance
- legal counsel, etc.
Event sites will be chosen that are easy to get to, have adequate
parking, as well as are located on public transportation routes. Free
childcare will be provided to address the barriers adults with children
may face while trying to interact with service providers.
CHIP will utilize a large number of volunteers to conduct intake interviews and to guide participants throughout the event. Individualized attention helps ensure that participants are aware of services and that they follow through on connecting to the services they need.
To inquire about volunteer opportunities or other event specifics, contact Emily Hervey at ehervey@chipindy.org; or (317) 472-7640.