INDIANAPOLIS — There are rising concerns about the needs of people experiencing homelessness in Indianapolis.
As the temperature begins to change, the organizations tasked with providing shelter and assistance said those needs will only grow.
Shelters in the Indianapolis area are struggling to keep up with the demand for housing.
Tuesday, they united to discuss what they can do to make sure no Hoosier gets turned away.
As the seasons begin to change, now is the time that service providers start their winter contingency plans for people experiencing homelessness.
"There's an effort to provide safe places for people to go who might otherwise be sleeping on the street," Wheeler Mission's Women's Chief Program Officer Colleen Gore said.
For more than 30 years, Wheeler Mission has provided shelter for the majority of those experiencing homelessness. But as the numbers continue to rise, mission leaders say they cannot continue to successfully meet that need in the same way.
"So we reached out to the community and asked for support in meeting this need and meeting it well," Gore said.
The room full of service providers answered that call. They came together to develop ideas for solutions to bridge the gap for families who are homeless this winter.
Tiffany Walls, the care coordinator for Salvation Army Women and Children Shelter, said they're also seeing the overwhelming need.
"Because of how things are going in the economy today, it's just hard for people to stay housed. We are just seeing so many more people. A lot of people with children. A lot of pregnant women with children," Walls said.
While the group is working hard to do their part, some are calling on state lawmakers to act.
"They need to work on it. We are trying to get their attention," said Dick D'Alton, with Meridian Street United Methodist Church.
Gore said Tuesday's brainstorming meeting is a good step forward, but now, they have to turn it into action.
"I think you saw creativity. I think you saw collaboration, but to be honest, at the end of the day, we don't have a solution. At this point there's not an overflow option identified for families beyond a shelter capacity," Gore said.
Until then, the clock is ticking.
Currently, the Wheeler Mission is at 98% capacity at its Shelter for Men, at 85% capacity in Emergency Shelter Services and completely full for families at the Center for Women and Children.