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The Next Step In Fighting Homelessness? Human Development May Be The Start

Zach Bernard/WBOI News

Over the last month, we’ve examined efforts to combat homelessness in Northeast Indiana, the services that are lacking for women without children or addiction, and how city development affects those who are displaced.

Throughout this series, the City of Fort Wayne, service agencies, and advocates for the homeless all seem to agree more needs to be done in one particular area: human development.

Sally Becker Segerson runs Street Reach for the Homeless, a local grassroots organization that aims to provide food, warmth and comfort to the chronically homeless on the streets. She says more can be done to help people get back on their feet.

“At what point in time, in the name of riverfront development, downtown development… does this city put that same time in human development?" Segerson asked. "These men and women are humans, and how are we helping them once we have clearly displaced them?”

Terry Anderson is the executive director of Just Neighbors, a faith-based organization serving situationally homeless families. He, too, says more can be done in this area.

“We are not providing for the health and safety needs of the poorest of the poor," Anderson said. "We are still, in many cases, treating them as if they’re best ignored or they’re criminalized, and I think we need as a compassionate community to be more intentional in saying, ‘We’re going to take hold of this.’”

So, how do you get there?

The City of Fort Wayne’s Office of Housing and Neighborhood Services welcomes input on these matters through the Fort Wayne Area Planning Council on Homelessness, a body featuring representatives from many different agencies serving the homeless.

Feedback from the council is considered when the City disburses grants to local agencies. This past June, $360,000 was distributed among ten different agencies to help expand their services.

While receiving funding can mean good news, everyone involved would agree their work is far from complete.

Anderson believes the City can plan for human development as they do community and economic development. Segerson says having more affordable and supportive housing opportunities in the region could help.

“How do we make more housing affordable for those that are there because medical bills became too much, or housing became too much to afford?" she asked. "How do we make sure that we have services that will address those people with those needs so the streets aren’t even an option?”

That’s where the Fort Wayne Housing Authority comes in. In February, they will bring a 56-unit supportive housing complex called River’s Edge to City Council for approval.

Housing authority CEO George Guy calls it a “transition from the transition,” and says it could be a good start in focusing on human development for Northeast Indiana’s homeless.

“It really becomes a socio-economic issue because, if these individuals can receive the proper training and be able to assimilate by gaining employment, going to school… then they become tax-paying citizens purchasing a home and it’s an overall win-win for the community,” said Guy.

A complex like River’s Edge could have been helpful to John Ramer and Audrey Blouin.

They bounced around among friends and family for about a year, before things fell apart with one friend and they were left on the streets -- while Audrey was six months pregnant. Following a brief stay with Just Neighbors, they’ve been getting back on their feet.

Now, John and Audrey, along with their newborn daughter, seem have their lives back on track. And John says what happened to them can happen to anyone.

“Before we were homeless, I was working a very good job, making a pretty decent wage weekly, and all it takes is one bad decision," said Ramer. "You don’t have to be a drug addict or any other bad thing you can think of to be homeless.”

John says he works 60 hours a week in a factory, while Audrey is a stay at home mom, paying off her student loans. She says she wants to go back to become a pediatrician.

Most of the parties involved in fighting homelessness resign to the belief that ending homelessness for good is an impossible task; there’s always going to be someone in need of immediate shelter. But these parties continue to work towards their mission so fewer people like John and Audrey experience homelessness at all.

Zach joined 89.1 WBOI as a reporter and local host for All Things Considered, and hosted Morning Edition for the past few years. In 2022, he was promoted to Content Director.
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