INDIANAPOLIS — More and more people across the country and here in Indianapolis are homeless — Sanctuary Indy hopes to find a solution,
Sanctuary Indy has a new concept for permanent assisted living, starting with a 2-acre site on the far east side of the city.
Currently the property is located on a completely forested area at 10200 E. 38th Street, but by 2025 it will be converted into a tiny home community for the homeless.
“We have permanent support options in the city, but first of all, there are not enough,” said Sanctuary Indy Founder and President Michelle Shelburne: “By building tiny homes, we are being very proactive and purposeful.”
Shelburne has worked closely with homeless people.
Her organization has been working on this project for years, and it comes at a time when the number of chronically homeless people in the county is increasing.
“My family was displaced and when we were displaced, we had nowhere to live,” said veteran Antonio Wilson, whose family was homeless for six months before receiving help from HVAF (Helping Veterans and Families)..
According to the Coalition for Homelessness Intervention & Prevention, more than 1,700 people were reported homeless in Marion County as of January 2024, including veteran Alan Stewart.
“I was homeless and slept outside or at the Wheeler Mission,” Stewart said.
Since 2010, he has struggled to find permanent housing and now lives in transitional accommodation at HVAF.
Stewart is volunteering there while he looks for full-time employment and a permanent place to live.
“I can’t afford anything because I don’t have a job yet,” Stewart said. “If I found something, it wouldn’t even last 90 days.”
Sanctuary Indy hopes to partner with other local organizations like HVAF to prioritize accommodating veterans like Stewart and Indiana’s chronically homeless residents in the new housing facility.
The tiny home village will consist of 27 homes, each measuring up to 45 square meters, designed by minority-owned firm Next Great Architects.
The homes will be divided into three micro-communities on the same lot, with priority given to veterans.
Shelburne said all residents will be served through the city’s coordinated access system, which allocates housing to the most vulnerable people in Indianapolis.
For the residents, the community would be much more than just a residential complex.
“Also, a missionary will live with them on the property, so we would call a missionary more of a mentor,” Shelburne said.
The religious organization also plans to provide support services and case managers to the community’s tenants.
“With case management, we’re going to address the barriers of mental illness and substance use disorders,” Shelburne told WRTV. “Then we’re definitely working on the next level, which is job placement.”
Shelburne said tenants are expected to contribute 30 percent of their income to pay their rent.
“We believe that everyone wants to be able to independently cover their monthly expenses,” Shelburne said. “The vision for the community is for people to not just have a house with a roof over their heads and a locking door, but a home.”
The estimated cost of the project is around $3.2 million, which the religious organization plans to raise through city and state grants as well as private funding.
Shelburne told WRTV that the permanent supportive tiny home village would be the first of its kind in Indianapolis and the entire state.
The focus in the community will be on a sense of nature with lots of trees, paths and a pond.
Sanctuary Indy hopes to complete the first phase of the project by the end of 2025.
Ultimately, they want to have a tiny home community in all four quadrants of the city.
