Homeless count aims to help those down on their luck: the hard part is 'asking for help'

Jan. 25—Sheron Sherman came to Northwest Indiana from New Orleans about 18 months ago to take a job working in financials for a new healthcare company.

He admitted the job didn't work out, partly due to struggles with alcohol. With two master's degrees and a bachelor's in accounting, he assumed he would land on his feet and find a new job quickly.

That didn't happen.

The Post-Tribune met him last April at a Gary schools job fair. By July, the money ran out and he found himself homeless for the first time.

A group of volunteers from the U.S. Veterans Administration found him sitting inside the doorway on a snowy day Wednesday morning during the annual Point in Time Homeless Count while at the Gary Metro Center on 5th Avenue.

He was their first veteran of the day. They were enthusiastic to offer services. They said they could help him get a driver's license, arrange free Lyft rides, a cell phone and a new copy of his military separation papers. They left information on housing at Veterans Village.

He seemed hesitant. He got along well, smiling and appreciative, and ended up giving a hug to everybody before they left.

Would he accept their offer?

"That's the hard part," Sherman, 52, said later. "The most difficult thing for me throughout my life has been asking for help."

"And the thing is, I don't know how to fix it," he said. "How do you make yourself more vulnerable? I really don't know what the right answer is, to be honest with you."

This year, volunteers were anticipating a higher count, said homeless agency network Continuum of Care of NWI Executive Director Sharron Liggins.

The signs were there. Last year, 1,100 people called to ask about resources, she said.

They also work with different federal definitions. HUD considers people on the street homeless, while the U.S. Department of Education also adds children and families couch surfing or "doubling up" with relatives.

The count is always a birds-eye view, never capturing the full scope. Last year, they found 272 people — including 63 children and 22 people aged 18-24, Liggins said. In total, they made up 212 households.

Rising rents are a problem. Where in the past someone might have gotten an apartment for $800 or $900, now that rent is $1,200.

"It's a huge swing," she said.

At Sojourner Truth House in Gary, a day center for women and young children, their affiliate shelters — Missionaries of Charity and Lydia House — can house 26 people total, Director of Client Services Pam Key said. Right now, they have 10.

Rising rents have made it harder than ever to get clients into housing. Before the pandemic, it may have taken 90-180 days to get someone set up in an apartment. Recently, Key heard of someone waiting 9 months. Shelters often have a 90-day limit, in some cases they've had to beg to keep someone there.

"Ladies here that have been diligent in doing everything they need to do," she said, "and we're still waiting on housing."

Earlier that morning, coordinators Nina Johnson, Lorese Wesley and Erin Sherrow Hayes got about 15 volunteers ready to head out from the Calumet Township Multipurpose Center.

Each year, teams go out day and night to look for those who are "sheltered" or "unsheltered" in alleys, under bridges, in gas stations, truck stops, McDonalds, temporary shelters, and hotels, like off 61st and Broadway.

They hand out blankets, crackers, hats, gloves, soap and hygiene products, tuna, some other non-perishable food and resource sheets for feeding sites, pantries and food stamps.

"You lose one paycheck, your whole life is turned upside down," Wesley, who is Chief Executive Director of Veterans Life Changing Services, said. "They lose those jobs and they go into crisis mode."

Back at the Gary Metro Center, Sherman said he wants to straighten out his life, and get back to work.

He spends most of his time at the library. No one bothers the homeless, and it's open until 8 p.m., later than the metro station. But he said people would be better served if they were allowed to stay in the station's bottom floor overnight.

"We just want to stay warm," he said.

He told volunteers he knew of "three to four couples" that lived in abandoned houses within a "block radius".

Can you tell us where they are, one asked.

"I don't want to do that," he said.

When asked later, he said he personally knew maybe a couple hundred that lived in abandoned houses.

There's probably at least 100, Liggins said. If they find some folks out in the elements, volunteers do the best they can to offer services.

"They are frightened. They don't want to be arrested," she said. "They hide. It's a tough situation."

At some point in many of their lives, something happens that pushes them into a vulnerable spot.

"Don't blame them, be supportive of their needs," she said.

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