St. Joseph County Housing Consortium

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FY 2025-2029 Five-Year Consolidated Plan City of South Bend, IN Estimate the number and type of families in need of housing assistance for families with children and the families of veterans. The Point-In-Time count for 2023 reported 45 homeless households with children in St.Joseph County, for a total of 150 persons, of which there were 104 children. There were 46 households with 97 children in 2024. Of the homeless households in 2023 and 2024,there were no unsheltered families with children,but 83 persons were in emergency shelters in 2024. The number of homeless Veterans in St. Joseph County has slightly increased from 32 in 2023 to 33 in 2024. In addition to housing, there is a need for wrap around services for Veterans. These services largely include mental health care and recovery systems for those with addictions. The Center for the Homeless offers beds for homeless Veterans in the Robert L. Miller, Sr. Veteran's Center(Miller's Vets). There are 15 male-only beds for Veterans and all of them are full. The number of beds has decreased due to the successful use of VASH vouchers. Life Treatment Centers also has beds for homeless vets. There is a need for Permanent Supportive Housing in the County and the region.Though there are shelters for homeless individuals and families in the County, they are typically concentrated in the City of South Bend and are only for temporary housing. Permanent Supportive Housing is needed to meet the long-term housing for individuals and families who are homeless or who are at-risk of becoming homeless.Permanent Supportive Housing could potentially be developed throughout the County, and not restricted to the areas within the City of South Bend. However, resistance to providing supportive housing for the homeless may make this concept difficult. Outreach and education are required to create Permanent Supportive Housing. Describe the Nature and Extent of Homelessness by Racial and Ethnic Group. Approximately half of the homeless population in St. Joseph County is White, and slightly less than half the population is Black/African American. However,the Black/African American population in St.Joseph County is 12.9% of the population. Black/African American persons are disproportionately likely to be homeless in St.Joseph County. Black/African American residents are also more likely to be at-risk of homelessness due to housing instability. Poor housing conditions in rentals are more prevalent in Black/African American neighborhoods, and residents of these houses are more likely to face evictions due to units being rehabilitated so landlords can charge higher rents. The City of South Bend has created the Rental Safety Verification Program(RSVP)to help address these issues. Describe the Nature and Extent of Unsheltered and Sheltered Homelessness. Unsheltered Homelessness would refer to the segment of a homeless community who do not have ordinary lawful access to buildings in which to sleep, as referred to in the HUD definition as persons occupying "a place not meant for human habitation", (examples: a bus stop,beach, riverbed, van, RV, sidewalk). Many of the unsheltered homeless suffer from substance abuse and/or mental illness, and are reluctant to abide by the rules of the shelter, so they decline going into a shelter. OMB Control No:2506-0117(exp.07/31/2025) 86