Jason Chenoweth
Chief Executive Officer, Outreach Inc
Indianapolis is a city of growth, expansion, and revitalization. It’s beautiful to see the nation, and the world, discover what so many of us have long known of the beauty that is found in our community. While we work hard together to move forward, we need to always be aware of the potential costs to some of our population. Rising property value, new retail locations, and higher salaried jobs are blessings to Indianapolis. As in all things, they present a two-sided opportunity. Those same blessings often lead to rent values that outpace cost of living increases, a rising rate of a “livable wage” that far exceeds the current minimum wage, and a rise in the displacement of citizens of our community.
At Outreach, we work each day with young men and women (ages 14-24) who are currently homeless. Working within this population of hundreds of young people, the challenges for each one can be deep and varied. Even as the community, our government, and corporations try to find the answer to homelessness in Indianapolis, the reality is there will be multiple answers for such a complex problem. One of those answers is being put forward by Circle City Villages. Their plan to create tiny homes as a step in the process for men and women to move away from homelessness is a vital and necessary component in the overall plan.
The ability for the youth we srve, as well as for older adults, to have a place to stay that is safe, dry, and in a community with others is a foundational step as that person charts a new direction for their lives. The ability to provide this through the tiny home model offers an answer that is realistic, affordable, and can be replicated wherever necessary.
Obviously, people will have questions and concerns, as we all do when we encounter something that is new to us. But the concept of Circle City Village is only new in our community. It is a proven model that can be seen, visited, and learned from in other cities around the country.
Justin R. Beattey
Director-MHAI Stanley W. DeKemper Training Institute
By implementing proven concepts like communal gardens, community recreation areas, and other pro-social activities, Circle City Village shows it has support and maintenance of the resident’s mental health and other needs at the forefront of its mission. The team at Circle City Village is comprised of multiple individuals who have extended experience working alongside those experiencing homelessness and are aware of the unique needs, including mental health needs, of this unique population.
Rick Alvis
President / CEO, Wheeler Mission
As one of the city’s largest service providers for helping individuals experiencing homelessness, Wheeler Mission understands the need for multiple services, multiple providers, and multiple approaches in caring for our city’s most vulnerable citizens. While we realize that our mission to serve those in need may not always include those individuals coming into our facilities, we are thankful and supportive of other providers who also share our mission to serve these individuals. One such organization working to help those in need is Circle City Village, and this group is in the process of developing a community of “Tiny Homes” as a step in the process for men and women to move out of the cycle of homelessness.
Many of these individuals experiencing homelessness face difficulties with housing due to the many barriers that complicate their situation. What Circle City Village is doing through their tiny home concept, will afford many who have these barriers to housing a chance to get their lives back on track while at the same time have a safe and stable community to live in while working through those barriers.
Though this concept is new to our community, it’s a model that has proven to help in other cities around the country. Wheeler Mission is pleased to support Circle City Village in their efforts to help those individuals experiencing homelessness grow and thrive in our community.
Dr. Patrick Monahan
Indiana University Schools of Medicine and Public Health
The leadership of the Circle City Village project has the right mission, approach, strategy, motivation, skills, and talent to achieve positive outcomes. The Circle City Village leadership has spent an enormous amount of time listening to and incorporating suggestions from neighborhood citizens and leaders (I attended a neighborhood meeting and was impressed). I believe our friends experiencing homelessness will be provided a safe and supportive environment to heal and grow, and this will facilitate their move to the next stage of their life. I also believe that the overall impact of the project on the surrounding neighborhood and its citizens will be substantially positive, including a positive financial impact on home values, and a positive effect on their quality of life including physical, spiritual, and emotional well-being.