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Friday, March 29, 2024

Davidson camp: The aftermath

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Watching from their television screens, tens of thousands of Indianapolis residents got an unforgettable glimpse at the serious plight of the city’s homeless population when the Irish Hill camp was closed this week.

On Monday, police, with the help of local service organizations, relocated residents of the community of about 70 homeless people who lived in tents under the Davidson Street railroad bridge near downtown.

However, five Irish Hill residents, including de facto camp leader Maurice Young, were arrested after refusing to leave the area. They said the city has been harassing the homeless instead of addressing the challenges that lead to some people losing their homes.

One resident told reporters, “They just want to move us and hide us.”

On Aug. 19, city officials posted signs warning residents of the controversial camp that they were trespassing and would be removed after nearby businesses and homeowners expressed concern about tents that spilled over into public rights of way, garbage and human waste from the community toilet, rodents and numerous 911 calls to police.

Also, much of the land is owned by CSX, a railroad company that wants to send workers to repair the bridge.

With the makeshift homeless community now closed and fenced off, city officials say there’s another story behind the headlines: What happened to its residents.

“What we’re talking about is a success story,” said Julie Fidler, human services grant manager for the Department of Metropolitan Development.

The aftermath

Fidler said the city had to act and enforce the right of way of CSX when the company said it wanted access to the bridge for repairs.

Still, she added, the city also cares about the challenges of the Irish Hill residents, and worked with homeless service providers the day they were removed to ensure case management, appropriate housing and other services were obtained.

Among the partners were the Coalition for Homelessness Intervention and Prevention (CHIP), Horizon House, Tear Down the Walls Outreach, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department’s Homeless Unit, Midtown Community Mental Health and others.

“This group managed to directly house about 25 individuals,” Fidler said.

Two pregnant women have been relocated to receive needed services at the Damien Center, and pets were placed in Southside Animal Clinic, where they will be safe until owners can reclaim and care for them.

“This was not an attempt to ‘hide’ homelessness,” Fidler said. “We don’t do that as a community. We have been, and will continue to help the people at Davidson and continue to provide support services and emergency funding to groups that provide direct assistance.”

Fidler said the city spends nearly $6 million annually in U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development funds for shelters and those at risk of being homeless, those who have HIV/AIDS, veterans and those with mental illness or substance abuse issues.

According to the Indiana University Center for Health Policy (CHP), between 6,000 and 10,000 people in Indianapolis may be homeless throughout the year.

“The numbers are increasing for certain subpopulations, including families, women and minorities,” Christy Shepard, CHIP’s interim director, told the Recorder.

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