Since Veterans Affairs removed him from the Marine Corps in 2011 due to health problems, Howard Brandl has been traveling across the country in his truck looking for a place to live. He lived in a trailer park in Peru for almost two years before moving to live with relatives in New Jersey and then returning to Logansport.
Due to the economy and limited sources of income, Brandl lived out of his truck behind Dunham’s with his dog for 11 months. The team at the nonprofit Logansport Street Outreach reached out to him, and with their help, he was able to connect with someone from Veterans Affairs, who helped him find an apartment in Kokomo. He has been living there for almost four months now.
“Here I only pay 30% of my benefit, and that works out very well. I don’t have to pay any electricity or gas bills, it’s all electric,” Brandl said. “It’s a nice apartment, one bedroom, fully furnished, and it’s big enough for me and my dog… and it’s only for vets here.”
There are several resources and organizations, such as the Logansport Street Outreach in Cass County, that provide services and assistance to the homeless population. Often, many of these organizations work together to provide even more opportunities for people who may be homeless.
The Emmaus Mission Center, 805 Spencer St. in Logansport, provides food, clothing and shelter, which director Jason Mitchell said are the three most important tenants in getting people back on their feet. The shelter provides a place where individuals or families can stay for several months while they work with them to get them what they need, whether that’s some form of income or housing, he said.
“It gives them a safe place to come back to when they’re at work, or a safe place for their children,” Mitchell said. “So we’ve had many times where people with DCS cases were able to get their children back while they were here because they had a safe place to be. So in that respect it’s… a more permanent solution than just some kind of night shelter.”
Emmaus also has a food pantry and a thrift store with clothing, supplies for the homeless and other items. The items come largely from community donations, although they also receive some money from the state. Mitchell said they would be stuck without the donations they receive and the volunteers they have.
“So I think it’s a testament to our community and how passionate they are about healthcare that we have an organization like ours because … it’s very dependent on our donors,” Mitchell said. “And we have such generous people who just want to help others and I love that, and I love the ability to see those blessings and take them and then bless other people with them, it’s so cool.”
Logansport Street Outreach
The mission center is also involved in Logansport Street Outreach. While the nonprofit started in March of this year, discussions about the need for this service began as early as December of last year, Mitchell said. He said the nonprofit is an important tool and acts as a support system because even if they can’t house the homeless due to shelter capacity or lack of low-income housing, they still need to care for them and find out why they don’t have permanent housing . .
The outreach includes representatives from several organizations, including Trinity Episcopal Church, Shiloh Church, 4C Health, Area Five, WorkOne, the VA, Aspire Indiana Health and Health Plus Indiana, all of which provide services to those who enter. Aspire Indiana Health offers testing for hepatitis C and HIV, while Health Plus Indiana offers regular health checkups.
“And we’ve also been in contact with some local hairdressers and estheticians about coming in to give people a cleanse,” Mitchell said. “I mean, if they’re looking for a job interview, if they look well groomed with a nice haircut or beard trim or nice nails or whatever, it might help them get interviews and things like that.”
As part of the nonprofit organization, Trinity Episcopal Church also opens its doors to the unsheltered homeless every Thursday from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. During this time they provide hot meals, snacks and supplies such as thermal gear and tents. They can also meet with representatives from the many organizations within Logansport Street Outreach to utilize their services.
The nearby Cavalry Church also offers unsheltered homeless people the opportunity to use their showers during these periods. Brandl said he used the church to shower, in addition to the showers at two truck stops, while living in his truck.
“…It’s like everyone is all there for those two hours to help,” Mitchell said. “So I think it gives them all the resources they need.”
Finding housing for people
Logansport Street Outreach also goes into the community to find where unsheltered homeless people are camping. Alana Leese, director of Adult Intensive and Residential Services at 4C Health, oversees many of the team’s members. On Thursdays, she and her fellow outreach members visit these high-use areas and extend their services to the homeless.
“We can help them schedule an intake. We have open intake hours right now so they can come in the same day or the next day,” Leese said. “We also provide them with a backpack with basic necessities, so water, a tent, socks, things like that. And at that point, we can help them if they need help setting up their insurance and connect them with the services they need.
Over the past year, Leese said they have helped between 30 and 40 individuals with services such as obtaining housing, insurance coverage, medication management and case management. In July, 4C Health also received $2.5 million from a federal SAMHSA, or Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, grant that will address rural homelessness in Cass, Miami and Howard counties, according to 4chealthin.org.
With this grant, Leese said they will be able to provide more resources in terms of supplies that the homeless population may need for their physical daily lives. 4C Health will also be able to open up their intake process and expand the range of services they can provide to people experiencing homelessness, such as benefits, therapy and medication.
‘We must be a community’
In addition to 4C Health, the Emmaus Mission Center also works closely with the Salvation Army. Mitchell said they are a big player in serving the homeless community with the hot meals they provide and the option they provide for people to come inside when it’s too hot or too cold.
While he said many see the Mission as the lead agency on homelessness, Mitchell said the issue needs to be addressed as a community approach because they cannot do everything that is needed for the homeless population. However, he said they will continue to be the catalyst to make things happen and help them.
“It’s just like anything else,” Mitchell said. “We need to be a community of people who all focus on this as part of our work, and we can achieve much more if we have that power.”
Community members can help the homeless population by donating items such as food or clothing to Trinity Episcopal Church for their weekly services. If they would like to volunteer, they can check out the Emmaus Mission Center Facebook page or stop by one of their locations.
“I think educating people about the homeless situation is a big part of being able to solve it. There was still a lot of stigma attached to it at times,” Mitchell said. “And I think the more people understand that these are regular people who are just struggling, the better it will be for everyone.”
