Amid rise in homelessness, annual event promises to offer free assistance

Houston Harwood, Evansville Courier & Press
·3 min read

EVANSVILLE — The 15th annual Homeless Connect of Southwest Indiana is set to offer a multitude of free services and assistance for those in need when the "one day, one stop" mission commences Thursday.

The event, which will run from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Old National Bank Events Plaza in Downtown Evansville, comes just one month after a point-in-time survey exposed a sizable increase in the number of people experiencing homelessness in Southwestern Indiana.

Homeless Connect will offer services to both the unhoused and those in need of financial, medical or other assistance, and is seen by backers as a critical aspect of the broader campaign to end homelessness in Evansville.

Previous Events: Haircuts to affordable housing, Homeless Connect offered it all under one roof

According to Sharon Taylor, a longtime member of the event’s planning committee, Homeless Connect of Southwest Indiana serves more than 900 individuals and families each year. On Thursday, more than 50 local agencies are set to provide free, on-site services.

Rayetta Madison of Evansville gets her eye examined by Don Baker with the Eastside Lions Club during the 2019 Homeless Connect of Southwest Indiana event. This year's Homeless Connect will take place Thursday in Downtown Evansville.
Rayetta Madison of Evansville gets her eye examined by Don Baker with the Eastside Lions Club during the 2019 Homeless Connect of Southwest Indiana event. This year's Homeless Connect will take place Thursday in Downtown Evansville.

Here’s a breakdown of services on offer:

  • Housing and legal advice

  • Employment and education services

  • Veterans assistances

  • Health screenings

  • Childcare referrals

  • Financial assistance and foreclosure mitigation

  • Utility bill consultation

  • Substance abuse recovery

“These services are normally only available in offices or online, and at this event, they’re all accessible in one place on the same day,” Taylor wrote in a news release. “The event is free and open to anyone.”

Data shows rise in the number of people experiencing homelessness

Homeless Connect is geared toward helping both the unhoused and those at risk of becoming homeless, according to Taylor, who has repeatedly stressed the importance of providing preemptive aid to people who are marginally housed, or at risk of eviction.

And this year’s event comes at a critical juncture in the broader campaign to end homelessness in Southwestern Indiana: According to preliminary data compiled by the non-profit organization Aurora Evansville, the region’s homeless population grew to encompass more than 500 people in 2023.

More: On a bitterly cold night, a snapshot of Evansville homelessness

Last year, surveyors counted 355 people experiencing Category One homelessness, which refers to people who are forced to live outside, in a shelter or in a structure unfit for habitation.

Aurora Executive Director Zac Heronemus told WNIN News in March the preliminary data from Aurora’s annual point-in-time survey was “not a good sign.”

Heronemus said the end of pandemic-era assistance programs, alongside rising rents and steady inflation, may explain some of the overall increase. Organizers hope Thursday's event can help put a dent in the uptick.

More: Sheriff vows to implement changes in wake of Deputy Asson Hacker's death

More information about Homeless Connect of Southwest Indiana can be found at the Commission on Homelessness website. Attendees can pre-register online, as can volunteers.

More than a dozen local businesses have sponsored the annual event, including CenterPoint Energy, United Way of Southwestern Indiana and Berry Plastics.

Houston can be contacted at houston.harwood@courierpress.com

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Homeless Connect of Southern Indiana to provide free services at event