The Indianapolis Continuum of Care (CoC), led by CHIP, unites local organizations, individuals, and funders in our shared mission to prevent and end homelessness through aligned systems and community-centered actions. To achieve our goal of ending homelessness in Indianapolis, we identify critical needs in the community and address them by building lasting systems of housing and service.
The Indianapolis Community Plan to End Homelessness was officially endorsed on 6/3/25 by the Blueprint Council.
This plan is an updated and simplified version of the 2018-2023 Indianapolis Community Plan to End Homelessness that was informed by an evaluation conducted in 2023 by Planning Plus and Taylor Advising. This evaluation included community input and feedback that was used to inform this version of the plan. Click the link below to view the plan.
Diversion from homelessness is a strategy and approach that works with individuals and families at the “front door” of the homeless system. The goal is to divert people from entering a shelter or an unsheltered location. Diversion focuses on housing problem-solving, flexible financial assistance, and other creative ways of connecting people to housing.
Crisis response includes services and interventions for those who have lost housing and are experiencing homelessness. This includes street outreach, emergency shelter, and transitional housing. The goal of the crisis response system is to quickly engage people who are experiencing homelessness to help resolve their homelessness. This can include coordinated street outreach, rapid exit strategies, coordinated entry assessments, housing navigation, and case management.
The primary goal of all our work is to provide pathways to permanent housing and to do it using a Housing First approach. Permanent housing solutions include rapid rehousing, permanent supportive housing, and other permanent housing. Permanent housing combines various levels of housing subsidy, rental assistance, and supportive services geared toward individual household needs and goals.
Housing First is not housing only. The key to housing stability and homelessness prevention is having high-quality supportive services that are accessible and available to people in housing. Supportive services must be person-centered, must meet people where they are, and must focus on neighborhood and community integration. Having accessible and quality supportive services, connections to community networks, and resources are vital in ensuring longer-term housing stability.
Diversion from homelessness is a strategy and approach that works with individuals and families at the “front door” of the homeless system. The goal is to divert people from entering a shelter or an unsheltered location. Diversion focuses on housing problem-solving, flexible financial assistance, and other creative ways of connecting people to housing.
Crisis response includes services and interventions for those who have lost housing and are experiencing homelessness. This includes street outreach, emergency shelter, and transitional housing. The goal of the crisis response system is to quickly engage people who are experiencing homelessness to help resolve their homelessness. This can include coordinated street outreach, rapid exit strategies, coordinated entry assessments, housing navigation, and case management.
The primary goal of all our work is to provide pathways to permanent housing and to do it using a Housing First approach. Permanent housing solutions include rapid rehousing, permanent supportive housing, and other permanent housing. Permanent housing combines various levels of housing subsidy, rental assistance, and supportive services geared toward individual household needs and goals.
Housing First is not housing only. The key to housing stability and homelessness prevention is having high-quality supportive services that are accessible and available to people in housing. Supportive services must be person-centered, must meet people where they are, and must focus on neighborhood and community integration. Having accessible and quality supportive services, connections to community networks, and resources are vital in ensuring longer-term housing stability.
The Indianapolis CoC operates under the CoC Governance Charter, is guided by the Indianapolis Community Plan to End Homelessness, and is governed by the Indianapolis CoC Governing Board: The Blueprint Council.
The Blueprint Council is the delegated authority and decision-making body for the Indianapolis CoC and is primarily responsible for: setting strategy and defining annual system implementation priorities and activities; monitoring system performance and implementation progress; reviewing and approving governing policy recommendations created within the implementation work groups; and aligning resources and activities and allocating funding in accordance with implementation priorities.
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