INDIANAPOLIS — The Office of Public Health and Safety (OPHS) highlighted 2022 progress across all OPHS divisions: Violence Reduction, Community Nutrition and Food Policy, Homelessness and Eviction-Prevention, Re-Entry, and Mental Health and Substance Abuse. OPHS provided direct services or linked services related to public health, quality of life, and public safety, to thousands of Indianapolis neighbors this year.
Among the accomplishments noted in the Violence Reduction division, the city pointed to a decrease of 16% in intentional homicides, approximately three times the national average; a decrease of 12.5% in non-fatal shootings and 648 incidents of violence interrupted by Indy Peace Fellowship Violence Interrupters.
In the division of Community Nutrition and Food Policy, the city investedover $7 million to increase access to nutritious food in low-income, low access areas. A thousand households participated in a 10-week program where they received weekly produce boxes, followed by three months of a weekly $50 incentive toward purchasing produce at Safeway stores or through Instacart. Thousands of households in under-served areas also received direct help with rides to grocery stores, increased distribution, and other programs.
The Division of Homelessness and Eviction Prevention worked closely with the Indianapolis Continuum of Care (CoC) to implement the Community’s Plan to End Homelessness. Over 1,900 houeholds were helped by TAP Navigators, and the city convened and conducted weekly meetings to coordinate outreach and cleaning at homeless camps throughout the city.
On the mental health front, programs such as the Assessment and Intervention Center on the Criminal Justice Campus, provided free assistance to those experiencing problems with a referral. OPHS, Indianapolis Fire Department, and IMPD developed a partnership with Overdose Lifeline (ODL) in the amount of $75,000 to coordinate Naloxone services to all emergency agencies within Marion County including the excluded cities. Additionally, the naloxone program will assess the current rate of overdose deaths within Marion County jails and for released offenders to reduce overdose deaths through the distribution of Naloxone, while the Overdose Treatment Center already serves women and children affected by substance abuse disorder.