Social Gaps And Disparities Examined In New Report

A local government commission presented a new look at gaps and disparities in social services this week and digs into areas identified as the greatest needs.

The Indianapolis City-County Council formed the Commission on Service Gaps and Disparities to take a closer look at where and how residents fall through social service cracks. The group’s work followed the 2019 CHIP point in time count that looks at the demographics of people experiencing homelessness in the city.

City-County Council Policy Director Brandon Herget says much disparity is rooted in race. 

"We see a very high rate of African American individuals who are homeless relative to the overall population of the city," says Herget. 

The report identifies five issue-areas -- housing, transportation, mental health, re-entry and food access -- where people aren’t able to connect with the help they need. Herget says better data can influence change. 

"Hopefully that information, those data points, can then influence what decision makers and policy makers throughout the county do in their individual lens, their individual purvue, to try and tackle those disparities," says Herget. 

A finalized report will be available to the public in the coming weeks.