Reflections: Four Years
With Heading Home

Note: Shay Berry was an intern with Heading Home of South Central Indiana from 2022-2026. As she graduates, Shay reflects on her four years of work with Heading Home.

In my freshman year of college, I entered Indiana University as a Civic Cox Scholar. Through this scholarship, I was placed at a nonprofit organization in Bloomington where I would intern for the next four years. The organization I was placed with was Heading Home. 

I began at Heading Home in 2022 when it was still a new organization, which made my experience especially meaningful. The team was small, and over the years I have had the privilege of watching Mary Morgan, Tatiana Wheeler and the rest of the team take on new projects and initiatives while growing into a team of thirteen remarkable individuals.

Throughout my time at Heading Home, I have assisted with a variety of projects that allowed me to develop and strengthen a wide range of skills. My freshman year was primarily focused on learning the fundamentals of the homeless response system, specifically in Region 10 (the six counties of Monroe, Morgan, Lawrence, Owen, Greene and Martin). I attended facility tours in neighboring counties, including WellSpring, a family shelter in Martinsville, and the Men’s Warming Shelter in Bedford, to better understand how these shelters operated. I also began volunteering at Shalom Center, Beacon Inc.’s day center in Bloomington that provides meals and services to members of the community. My time volunteering allowed me to interact first-hand with some of our community’s most vulnerable residents and learn from their perspectives. 

Any opportunities to see new sides of our community have been incredibly enlightening. During my sophomore year, I had the opportunity to shadow a street medicine case manager from HealthNet’s Homeless Initiative Program, an experience that has stayed with me ever since. It was amazing to witness the work HealthNet HIP does to make healthcare more accessible for members of the community. Many individuals experiencing homelessness have faced prejudice in the healthcare setting and often lack the resources needed to access healthcare. The HealthNet HIP team meets patients where they are and ensures they feel seen and heard. As someone pursuing a career in healthcare, it was inspiring to see the ways that healthcare professionals can contribute to being a part of the solution. 

This past winter, I also assisted with my second Point-in-Time (PIT) count, an annual day dedicated to recording how many people experienced homelessness on a single night in January. To conduct the surveys, I worked alongside the Heading Home Street Outreach Team to visit various encampments and speak to individuals living there. 

One of the most significant projects I supported during my time at Heading Home was our People of Housing Security series, which spotlights various members in our region working to strengthen housing security and make homelessness rare, brief, and non-repeating. Through interviewing these individuals and writing their stories, I learned how many resources exist within our community and the number of people it takes to tackle this complex systemic issue. Despite how daunting this work can be, I was continuously inspired by the ways that these individuals show up with positivity and joy for the work they do and the people they serve. It has been a privilege to listen to their stories and witness the passion they bring to this work.

Some of my other most memorable experiences involved collaborating with Indiana University student organizations. Educating students about the homeless response system and the efforts taking place within our community is important to remind individuals that they too can also be a part of the solution, no matter the size of their contribution. I presented for and led service initiatives with organizations including MedLife, Honors Bloomington Outreach, Kappa Alpha Theta, Civic Cox Scholars, Wells Scholars, and Women in Business. Heading Home also partnered with Bloomington South High School to host two high school reading challenges, after which I assisted with leading a discussion centered on poverty and the books students read for the challenge. 

In addition to these projects, I took on the role of updating our Heading Home Resource Guide, a website offering up-to-date, centralized resources to support housing security. 

Although much of my college education focused on studying sciences, my internship at Heading Home has been invaluable in exposing me to a different and important side of the community. Through this experience, I gained a deeper understanding of the diverse factors that influence an individual’s health and well-being. It has inspired me to find ways to break down barriers, foster trust, and provide all-encompasing care with my patients as a future healthcare provider.