Homelessness: A difficult issue requiring a community of solutions

Homelessness is a difficult situation to address from the perspective of city officials, law enforcement and other services in the area.

It is not a new occurrence in the area. Individuals experiencing homelessness, whether as a lifestyle choice or through adverse experiences, are found living out of their vehicles or camping in the local parks and even on private propert on a regular basis. Many times, homelessness is hidden from the public view as community members are couch-surfing among friends and family members.

Recently, though, Jasper officials have been alerted to individuals using the Schaeffer Barn as a campsite and sleeping or bathing inside park bathrooms. Also, it is common for the Jasper Public Library to be used as a place to hang out, recharge electronic devices and stay out of inclement weather for those experiencing homelessness.

In addition to using public amenities, individuals sometimes find secluded areas of private property to camp in. Huntingburg Police were called to assist with removing an individual found camping in a private wooded area earlier this year. Police said it appeared he had been there for a while before being discovered and asked to leave.

Local cities and towns face having to balance the safe and proper usage of public facilities, community safety, and property rights while attempting to help those experiencing homelessness.

Jasper’s amenities — generous residents, large, well-maintained parks, popular stores, access to medical care and other public and social services — provide those individuals experiencing homelessness with needed services as well as opportunities for finding a place to rest.

“We have to remember, our amenities have to be kept safe and secure,” Jasper Mayor Dean Vonderheide said.

He gave an example of kids being dropped off for early practice at the Schroeder Sports Complex and encountering homeless individuals bathing in the park bathrooms. “It’s not a real safe environment,” he said about the situation. “We have to balance the safety and security of our residents with doing what we can for others.”

The mayor noted that city officials and responding services attempt to find ways to help these individuals through the resources available from churches, organizations and individuals in the community. This is done whether a person is a community member or simply passing through the area.

“What we encourage is then looking at next steps,” Mayor Vonderheide said. “Are they unemployed and need a job? We’ve got jobs; we can find them a job within an hour.”

They will also attempt to work with other community organizations and churches to facilitate connections to help the individual find a place to stay.

According to Jasper Police Chief Nathan Schmitt, Jasper officers encounter the homeless nearly weekly.

In some cases, the homeless are simply passing through the area. If that is the case, police will attempt to either find a place for them to stay or help them somehow. These individuals can stay at an area hotel overnight and get a tank of gas and a meal through a voucher system offered by authorities in partnership with local businesses and churches.

Officers will also attempt to ascertain if these individuals need other services or see if other issues may be present, like those related to addiction or mental health.

And, at times, they offer rides to adjacent communities with more services, like Evansville, where there is a shelter. Or even to another family member and friend.

We aren’t going to move people to other communities and just drop them off, Schmitt said, referencing an alleged incident in which another law enforcement agency took a person to Birdseye.

According to Schmitt, the majority of homelessness situations involving local individuals are due to social dynamics or housing issues.

“We ran across someone living in their car,” Schmitt gave an example. “They’d been kicked out someplace because they have two dogs and weren’t allowed to have them. They don’t have any place to go because they don’t have a place to take their pets.”

Sometimes, people end up temporarily homeless because of family dynamics.

“They get in a fight with their family and go pitch a tent on the Riverwalk, and they stay down there for a week,” Assistant Police Chief Aaron Persohn added. “You know, they have a home. They just can’t be there for a short time.”

According to Schmitt, the amount of homelessness falls as temperatures fall. But if someone is outside overnight, he maintains they are there to help.

“We aren’t going to allow someone to freeze to death,” he added. “We are going to do something to help anyone out.”

He pointed out that the community doesn’t really have a chronic homelessness issue, though. Most are temporarily homeless or simply transitioning through. Some move through the area regularly and become known by local authorities who encounter them as they rotate through different Southern Indiana communities.

By the numbers: According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, in 2022, an estimated 5,449 Hoosiers experienced homelessness. This is down three percent from 2020. However, the number of chronically homeless in 2022 — defined as people with disabilities who have experienced long-term or repeated incidents of homelessness — had increased 27 percent from 2020 to an estimated 470 Hoosiers. And overall, homelessness has been on the rise, up six percent on average across the nation since 2017. The report can be viewed here.

Mayor Vonderheide maintains that the systems they have in place are adequate for the type and amount of homelessness the area experiences. And with the investment into expanding addiction and mental health services, he feels they are addressing the issue at its source in many cases.

However, he and other government officials do not support creating a homeless shelter.

“Every mayor is dealing with this issue,” Vonderheide said. “But we don’t want to attract the homeless from other areas. Having a homeless shelter and other homeless services attracts more.”

He added that you can see that happening in Bloomington, where those services and shelters are more prevalent.

In Dubois County, officials are looking at how to remedy these individuals’ situations.

“We attempt to offer them a hand up,” Vonderheide explained.

One issue impacting homelessness is the lack of lower-cost housing. Projects are underway to provide budget rental options. However, they fill up fast. The first phase of the University Heights apartment project near VUJ opened fully leased, and the second building is under construction, with developers expecting it to open fully leased as well.

Pointing to Maple Grove Village on Jasper’s northside, Vonderheide said it has helped serve a purpose for entry-level housing. “With the cost of homeownership going up, rentals are filling that need for a lower price point,” he said. “Maple Grove Park has served a purpose, but we don’t have more Maple Groves. We don’t have the land for another mobile home park. I wish we did.”

To support the needed growth, the city and county are working together to develop the Regional Sewer District with service to the north side of the city up to Portersville and Haysville. However, it is expensive, with early estimates of over $18 million for the new wastewater treatment plant and about $25 million to expand services to Portersville and Haysville. While officials are working on different funding options to support it, including state and federal grants, these things take time.

Meanwhile, the police and other government agencies are doing their best with the available resources. Resources that include the generosity and concern of local organizations and residents willing to help those in need.

“I think our community does a great job of supporting people who truly need help,” Chief Schmitt said.

In the community, Joe Crutchfield, a business owner and peer recovery specialist, is working on opening the Peer Recovery Counseling Center to help individuals in adverse circumstances. He envisions the new center providing 24-hour availability for individuals seeking assistance for a myriad of issues, including mental health, addiction disorders, and homelessness.

“We just don’t have a place for homeless people to go to get help,” he said.

A recovering alcoholic himself, Crutchfield has already launched a phone line (812-630-4857 or email, peerrecoverycc@gmail.com) for the new center, so anyone needing assistance can reach out.

He feels that by leading with kindness and an open ear, the Peer Recovery Counseling Center may be able to not only find resources for these individuals but also help build relationships that create meaningful impacts in their lives.

He recognizes there is only so much that the police departments and city officials can do for homeless individuals and wants to fill those gaps through the new center.

Jasper Councilwoman Nancy Eckerle mentioned homelessness several times during this year’s election cycle. She recognizes the current processes have limitations.

“We can give someone a voucher to stay the night at a hotel and maybe get a meal,” she said. “But again, that is not solving their problem. It’s not helping the situation; it’s just moving into another day.”

So, she is looking into options for coalescing resources to help individuals experiencing homelessness. She would like to see a process developed that helps to determine why someone is homeless and then attempts to address those reasons through a network of resources in the community.

She invited anyone wanting to address the situation to become involved in creating solutions.

“I don’t have an answer for this, but I hope that by bringing the churches, community members and other services together, we can find solutions,” Eckerle said.