the PROJECT
ABOUT
Indy’s first permanent supportive housing plan that offers community and safety rather than isolation for chronically homeless individuals.
Master Site Plan
Our supportive housing plan is a naturally-wooded tiny home community with 27 homes and ample acreage where our most vulnerable community experiencing chronic homelessness and a diagnosed disability will remain housed for as long as they wish to stay.
Our residents will be engaged with community-oriented living arrangements and activities. They will have the benefit of living in micro-community groups of nine residents (in separate homes) including one live-in Missional Resident per group. Missionals will provide mentoring and ensure safety within the community.
Sanctuary Indy
will inhabit a wooded property with nature paths and outdoor gathering spaces.
Those who are chronically homeless have survived oftentimes by retreating to nature for refuge, protection, and community. Sanctuary Indy seeks to replicate that holistic environment with wooded areas and natural landscaping to help its residents feel comfortable in their new surroundings.
Micro-Community Homes
We will construct tiny homes no larger than 500 square feet in a protective environment. Each home will include a full bathroom, bedroom, and kitchenette. There will be a front porch on the exterior of each home. Our homes will be ADA accessible.
Mental Wellness Tools
We will construct and maintain a vegetable/floral garden as a tool for holistic therapy. We will also have an art studio for any resident to utilize daily. We will have a community center for our residents to fellowship weekly with meals, game nights, movie nights, coffees, and book or Bible studies. We will also provide a food and clothing pantry for our residents to access emergency food and clothing needs.
Mentorship
Beyond healthy housing, we will be intentional about daily interaction with each Sanctuary Indy resident, whether that be through our Missionals, staff members, or regular volunteers. This interaction will be through one-on-one outings and fellowship or group events.
Vocational Rehabilitation
As residents are able to rise above their disabilities and trauma, we will work to connect them with a comfortable level of employment that they will not only enjoy but will be able to sustain. Rent will use a "30% of monthly income" sliding scale for each tenant, capped at Fair Market Rate. We anticipate the inability of every resident to maintain employment or award benefits within the community. Therefore, Sanctuary Indy will provide contract opportunities for our high-needs residents to acquire income. Examples of these labor opportunities will be: assisting with the grounds of the property, daily Sanctuary Indy upkeep duties, or assistance with special events on the property.
Community Center – “The Refuge”
Our community center will house washers and dryers for our residents, a commercial kitchen, small group meeting rooms, and a larger gathering space. These areas will be accessible to all residents. This building and outdoor area will grow to be the hub of our community and a refuge for validation, fellowship, and support.
Veterans
Our Indianapolis Veterans hold a special place in our hearts. That’s why we’re dedicating our first micro-community of eight homes specifically for them. These homes at Sanctuary Indy will provide Veterans with a unique space to connect, share experiences, and feel the comfort of knowing that “my neighbors understand.” The support our Veteran residents will experience through this camaraderie cannot be underestimated.
Street Outreach
To truly serve the vulnerable homeless population, we need to go out and find them where they are. Our roots are in street outreach, where our team connects with individuals across the Indianapolis eastside – canvassing streets, underpasses, and wooded areas. We offer a cup of coffee, a nutritious lunch, and essential “triage” items for the next 24 hours of survival. We are trained to help individuals access the city’s housing portal on the spot, streamlining a traditionally complex process. We also provide business cards with a direct street outreach line to stay connected.
Operations
As an organization, we are here to simply be Samaritans for those who have had no home for years. The environment of Sanctuary Indy will be a warm and inviting community. Our programming will be organic and developed around the interests of our residents. All community programs will be voluntary yet encouraged.
As deemed by our government's expectation that 30% of American citizens' income should go toward their housing cost, Sanctuary Indy's rent sliding scale will follow that same expectation. Sanctuary Indy will not have capped income guidelines determining eligibility. We would not want this to be a barrier for our housing.
Simple rules will govern the community:
Pay rent on time.
Abide by civil law.
Follow the rules of the community itself.
There will be a signed rental agreement renewable each year. Tenants will also sign a Permanent Supportive Housing services agreement annually. This agreement will include case management coordination, contingent on leasing a tiny home and tailored to the tenant's needs.
When addressing substance use and behavioral health disorders, Sanctuary will follow the approach similar to the Housing First model, which believes an individual must first be adequately housed before effective rehabilitation. That being said, the possession and distribution of controlled substances is against the law. We expect everyone to abide by civil law or be subjected to eviction.
All incoming tenants will go through an Orientation. The Orientation will cover the general services through Sanctuary Indy (health & mental health, community, vocational, and housing retention). This orientation will also introduce each client to our Missionals beginning the mentoring relationship.
Missionals – Intentional Mentors
Missionals will reside in a tiny home surrounded by a micro-community of nine client tiny homes for intentional mentoring. The primary vocation of Missionals will be to have purposeful interaction with their “tribe”, encouraging them to engage in activities and relationships with other residents. It is our desire for our Missionals to be perceived as mentors, not “employees”, by our residents. As neighbors within a neighborhood, all residents will be encouraged to practice the upkeep of the property and their homes.
There will be weekly activities on the property, voluntary for all tenants. The activities will include (but not be limited to) Bible and book studies, cooking classes, gardening groups, and cookouts or pitch-ins. These activities will be planned and hosted by our Missionals.
Sanctuary Indy will also seek partnerships with mobile medical, dental, and mental health providers. Potential partnerships will be sought to offer low-barrier and low-cost services to our residents.
Outcomes for Tenants
Community is healing. Relationships matter and healing only happens in stable, secure relationships.
Tiny-home communities provide a level of privacy and close community. This delicate balance can help dependency on existing services and resources.
The outcomes of positive Permanent Supportive Housing…
Tenants stay housed
Tenants are satisfied with services & housing
Tenants increase their income & employment
Tenants improve their physical & mental health
Tenants have social & community connections
Tenants feel loved & regain dignity
... is our goal at Sanctuary Indy.
Sanctuary Indy isn't about quantity as much as it is about quality. Through practical compassion and steadfast involvement, Sanctuary Indy is furthering a movement in protecting our chronically homeless. Our vision is to replicate our tiny-home village in each quadrant of Indianapolis. The villages, once complete, will provide homes to over 150 individuals and families.
At Sanctuary Indy, we will never turn away anyone who qualifies as chronically homeless from receiving our services on the basis of race, gender, gender identity, sexual preference, religion, age, disability, mental health, or any other distinguishing factor.
Community Impact
This isn't just a humanitarian effort – it's good fiscal sense too!
In 2016, there were 8,176 individuals experiencing homelessness in Indianapolis, with 11% (or 879) experiencing chronic homelessness. Using two basic assumptions – 1) half of all homeless interactions with the criminal justice, health, or hospital systems involve chronically homeless individuals, and 2) the taxpayer pays for these funds – we can see Sanctuary Indy can save Indianapolis taxpayers money.
The estimated annual average cost of a chronically homeless person to Indianapolis is $20,571 per year per resident, according to data from the “Estimated Costs of Homelessness in Indianapolis 2016” report; or an expensive $18 million in services using our 2016 chronically homeless number (879)! According to Abt Associates (2017), the total per-unit cost for Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) equaled $12,315 in the same year. Permanent supportive housing can support the same adults saving over $8 million per year (or $8,250 per individual).
Compared side-by-side, the amount of savings for Marion County taxpayers is almost identical to the U.S. average:
An annual savings of approximately $4,500, per individual, per year.
OUR PROJECT PLAN
PHASE 1:
Launch
PHASE 3:
Pre-Development
PHASE 2:
Land Acquisition
PHASE 4:
Staged Construction
PHASE 5:
Pilot Community
PHASE 6:
Replication for Families
Phase in Progress
Phase Completed
Be part of the solution for Indy’s chronically homeless population!
Through our planning, we have determined that $4 million* is needed to develop our first Sanctuary Indy community. This budget includes $1 million to construct all of the supporting infrastructure and $3 million to build approximately 27 homes and necessary service buildings.
*Estimates based on current prices and may change in the future.
PROJECT UPDATES
