New program provides housing for residents with criminal records

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – A new pilot program will be launched to address the housing needs of those involved in the criminal justice system, Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears announced Thursday.

The program is a collaboration between the District Attorney’s Office, Horizon House, the Marion County Public Defender Agency and HealthNet’s Homeless Initiative Program. Funding is provided through the Elevation Grant Program recently awarded to Horizon House.

Attorney’s Office staff will refer approximately 35 eligible individuals or households to Horizon House for assistance.

“We at the Attorney General’s Office find ourselves in a unique situation because every day in our community we encounter too many people whose involvement in the criminal justice system has only to do with the lack of housing, so the root cause of their involvement is not having access to housing,” Mears said.

A diversion specialist and a housing specialist then work with each person to coordinate what support they need, including finding housing despite having a criminal record.

This support could range from help with an electricity bill to paying the first month’s rent, the prosecutor’s office said on Thursday.

“We identify real housing opportunities because all too often people sign up for 30 different lists, maybe they’ve lost track of those lists,” Mears said. “This will make that process easier and more efficient because it will allow us to determine what housing situation is good for that particular person for whom it is being considered.”

Mears said this often impacts single mothers.

The program could help East Side mom Whitney Dixon. She has 11-year-old Lamel Dixon.

The two live in a condominium on the eighth part of the city’s east side, where the rent is $600. They were forced to move there when she could no longer afford the $1,200 rent on the west side of the city.

“As mothers, we found ways that we don’t have a choice,” Dixon said. “We have to find ways to resources.”

There is no exact timeline for how long the program will provide resources for each person, but prosecutors say the goal is for each person to have a safe and sustainable housing solution.