Heading Home

The challenge of reflecting on any year is that so much of the time is spent in ways that can’t be categorized: conversations that shift your perspective; a kind word from someone on a rough day; the gift of insight from an unexpected source.

And scheduling meetings, of course.

But Heading Home accomplished a lot in 2023, thanks in large part to our collaborations with community partners in South Central Indiana. Heading Home was created two years ago to help transform our region in ways that will make homelessness rare, brief and non-repeating. It’s a long-term effort to address complex structural challenges and regional needs.

During 2023, 245 households were housed with help from many agencies and individuals working together. We’re proud of our role in this effort. Here are some highlights from the year.

Built for Zero

2023 marked our second year of partnership with Built for Zero, a national initiative working with over 100 communities to end homelessness. Built for Zero provides coaching and resources as we improve our data, policies and collaboration – working toward the goal of housing people quickly and making sure everyone has a stable, secure home.

We brought on two new members to our local Built for Zero coalition this year: Melissa Burgess of HealthNet’s Homeless Initiative Program, and Scotty Pietrovich, a consultant with lived experience of homelessness. They joined our initial group: Emily Pike (South Central Housing Network and New Hope for Families), Danielle Sorden (Beacon Inc. and Region 10 Coordinated Entry Lead), Forrest Gilmore (Beacon Inc.), Bob Goodrum (WellSpring), and Mary Morgan and Tatiana Wheeler of Heading Home. And we were grateful that incoming Bloomington mayor Kerry Thomson joined us in Washington, DC for the annual Built for Zero conference!

Ending Veteran Homelessness

Emerging from our work with Built for Zero, in January we collaborated with community partners to create a bi-weekly veteran case conferencing initiative. This group includes partners from the Veterans Administration and other veteran service organizations in this region, as well as case managers working directly with homeless veterans to find housing.

Our collective goal is to coordinate resources available to homeless veterans and move them into housing as quickly as possible. In 2023, 20 veterans were housed! We are working to reach functional zero for veteran homelessness by the end of 2024.

System Improvements Through Data

As another part of our Built for Zero efforts, Heading Home has been creating monthly data reports from the region’s Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) to measure system outcomes for people experiencing homelessness. These reports include metrics pertaining to people who are newly homeless (inflow) and those who are exiting the homeless response system (outflow). The inflow metrics measure how many people are newly identified as homeless, returned from inactivity, or returned to homelessness after being housed. The outflow metrics measure how many people have been housed, moved to inactive, or no longer meet population criteria. In addition to inflow and outflow metrics, the report also includes the active number of people experiencing homelessness in a given population (single adults, families, veterans). For those who are housed in a given month, we calculate their length of time from identification to housing.

The culmination of these reports will soon become a public data dashboard that will be released in 2024.This public data dashboard will be updated on a monthly basis to ensure our community has access to quality data.

Trainings for Front-Line Staff

Heading Home partnered with the South Central Housing Network to create quarterly in-person training sessions for front-line staff who address homelessness and low-income housing. We lead a committee that identifies professional development needs across multiple agencies.

Topics in 2023 included winter weather trauma, tools for housing-centered case management, data management, and eviction law. These free sessions also provide networking opportunities to build connections among organizations with similar goals.

Looking ahead to 2024, we’ll continue to provide training and other support for the people who are working every day to strengthen housing security.

Landlord Engagement

In partnership with the Bloomington Housing Authority, Heading Home funded an expansion of BHA’s new landlord risk mitigation fund to make it available for housing in Monroe County outside the Bloomington city limits. The fund, which launched in early 2023, is an incentive for landlords to lease to tenants with housing vouchers.

Heading Home and BHA also partnered to create landlord recruitment videos featuring landlords and tenants to share their experiences with housing vouchers. Nearly 40% of voucher holders can’t find a landlord that will accept their voucher. Landlord participation in the voucher program is key to preventing homelessness and strengthening housing security. As part of this outreach, Heading Home hosted a landlord breakfast to show appreciation for landlords and property managers who rent to tenants with vouchers and to encourage others to do the same.

In 2023, Heading Home’s Mary Morgan joined the Indiana Housing & Community Development Authority’s Landlord Engagement Task Force, a statewide group working to expand the number of landlords that serve low-income residents.

Heading Home Guide

When looking for available and affordable housing in South Central Indiana, tenants struggle to find up-to-date listings. To address this issue we partnered with Myerson Consulting to build an online resource: the Heading Home Guide. This website, launched in early 2023, provides accurate, up-to-date information for people searching for low-income housing and other resources. Thanks to Deborah Myerson and Toohill Consulting for their work on this project! Heading Home will be updating the site regularly to make sure the information stays relevant.

Local Elections

Heading Home hosted two election-related events in 2023: 1) a Bloomington mayo ral candidate forum focused on housing issues, and 2) an information session for Bloomington Council candidates to learn about our region’s housing crisis response system. We also surveyed council candidates about their views on housing topics.

Looking ahead to 2024, we’re eager to partner with the incoming administration and council to address the ongoing housing crisis. Also look for informational events next year related to local elections, including the Monroe County commissioner and council races.

advocacy work

Throughout 2023, Heading Home continued to provide logistical support to the South Central Housing Network, a network of social service providers working in the homeless response system.

In addition to providing logistical support, Heading Home staff also sit on the network’s advocacy committee. Through the committee, Mary Morgan began an initiative to encourage residents to speak about housing needs during public comment of local government meetings.

IU Kelley Institute for Social Impact

Heading Home and students with IU Kelley Institute for Social Impact hosted a series of events during Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week (Nov. 11-18) as part of an educational campaign to destigmatize poverty. We held a poverty simulation exercise for IU students, and hosted “The Path Home,” an event for neighbors to share their stories of overcoming housing insecurity.

We also launched a reading challenge at Bloomington North and Bloomington South high schools. Featured books will give students an opportunity to learn more about housing insecurity. These projects were funded through a grant from the Impact Competition.

People of Housing Security Series

In January 2023, we launched a series of weekly profiles to celebrate the hard work of individuals and to help the community learn about the housing crisis response system and the broader work of housing security. This year we highlighted dozens of individuals, including case managers, street outreach workers, landlords, crisis response staff and people in a wide variety of other roles. Read the stories here.

Community Outreach

Throughout the year, Heading Home staff meets with individuals and groups, and hosts events that educate and build support for our region’s housing crisis response system. As examples, in 2023 we met with faith-based leaders and congregations, members of the Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Bloomington Inc. and many others.

We also made presentations to elected and appointed entities, including the Bloomington Council, Monroe County Board of Commissioners, Monroe County Council, Monroe County Trustees Association, Monroe County Women’s Commission, and the Monroe County Justice Fiscal Advisory Committee, among others.

Our outreach also includes three monthly newsletters to help inform and engage the public on important housing security issues.

Outstanding Black Leader of Tomorrow

At a gala in February, Heading Home’s Tatiana Wheeler received the Outstanding Black Leader of Tomorrow award from the City of Bloomington.

A graduate of Indiana University, Tatiana Wheeler studied Law and Public Policy at the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs. She serves on the Bloomington Commission on the Status of Children and Youth, and on the board of WellSpring, which runs an emergency shelter and permanent supportive housing program in Martinsville.

We’re grateful that Tatiana is using her talents to strengthen housing security in our region!

Heading Home: Year in Review