NEW ALBANY — During their first official introduction to the proposal, New Albany City Council members were generally receptive to a request to aid in funding a plan designed to eliminate homelessness in Southern Indiana over the next decade.
Estimating more than 500 people in Clark and Floyd counties are homeless, Melissa Fry, director of the Applied Research and Education Center at Indiana University Southeast, presented the "Vision 2025: A Strategic Plan to End Homelessness in Clark and Floyd Counties" to the council this week during a work session.
The plan was formed over a year based on community feedback, research and analysis of the area's homelessness population and ways to curb the problem.
From creating essentially a one-stop shop for evaluation and services, to increasing access to affordable housing, the plan touches on several aspects that researchers believe will get people off the streets and into a permanent home.
Failing to address the issue would be an expensive mistake, Fry told the council.
"It's actually costing us more the way we're operating than it would to keep people housed," she said.
The Homeless Coalition of Southern Indiana board of directors will be seated next week, and will include representatives from the New Albany and Jeffersonville public housing authorities, St. Elizabeth Maternity Center, The Salvation Army, LifeSpring Health Systems and the Center for Women and Families.
That board will be charged with finalizing a financial plan, but an initial estimate is that it will cost $300,000 annually to operate the coalition and provide services such as intake evaluations of homeless residents. The hope is that half the funding will be provided by private donations such as grants from foundations, and the remaining $150,000 will come from government entities in Floyd and Clark counties.
Acknowledging Floyd County has struggled with a budget shortfall this year, New Albany Councilman Dan Coffey said he wouldn't be opposed to the city footing $75,000 of support. But he added a test period would be beneficial before the city agreed to a long-term funding commitment.
"Before I go four or five or 10 years down the road, I'd rather see a three-year project to see how we're going to do," Coffey said.
The coalition will provide a presentation to the Jeffersonville City Council about the plan next month. With both city councils in the midst of budget discussions, officials encouraged the coalition to bring back a firm financial request soon.