End Youth Homelessness

When Ariyonna first walked into Outreach, she looked like someone holding her life together with whatever threads she had left. She had been staying in an Airbnb, juggling an externship, and doing everything she could to keep a roof over her head.

MacKenzie came to Outreach for the basics: food, a shower, a safe place to replace important documents, but she stayed because of the connection and comfort she found with staff like Maria.

By the time Kenny came to Outreach, he wasn’t looking for a miracle. He just needed soap, food, a place to breathe for an hour. “I’d been on my own for so long,” he said. “I was used to figuring everything out by myself.”

When Shayla first walked through the doors of Outreach Indiana, she carried more than just a bag of laundry. She carried the weight of uncertainty.

She was grieving the loss of her father, struggling to stay in school, and facing homelessness, unsure where she and her belongings would end up next. Like many youth who come to Outreach, Shayla wasn’t living on the streets. She was quietly fighting to survive, trying to stay in school while figuring out where to sleep that night.

LaTanya Reed, Outreach’s Program Center Coordinator, remembers those early days vividly.

“Shayla used to walk in, you would see her with all her laundry, and you could see everything she carried on her face.”

Her story is one of courage, and also one that reveals a much larger truth: Youth homelessness isn’t what most people expect.

Two years ago, Shayla was going through a dark period, experiencing homelessness while facing a lot of other personal struggles. She needed some support as she worked to get her life back to where she wanted it to be. That’s when Shayla found Outreach. “[Outreach has] a lot of benefits, and there's a lot of people that really care about you,” she said. “They really give all of themselves just to see people grow.” 

Two years ago, after going through a very difficult phase, Sharese decided to come to Outreach for assistance. “Outreach completely turned my life around,” she shared. “They helped me out of my abusive relationship and they helped me get a restraining order.”

Boxx The Artist is a full-time, visual artist based in Indianapolis. She grew up with a grandmother who saw her potential before she could name it herself. “Draw me something,” Boxx recalls her grandma saying to her when she was a child. Those early sketches planted seeds that would later grow into murals and gallery exhibitions across the city, as well as a career where she nurtures that same artistic spark in others.

When Mackenzie lost her home, she also lost vital documents like her birth certificate and ID. Replacing them felt daunting. She heard Outreach could help with that process, but soon learned that Outreach was more than just a resource to solve an administrative problem.

For years, creativity felt like a luxury from another lifetime to him. But that changed during his very first day participating in Outreach’s art program. The class unlocked a new side of himself, helping to get the creative juices flowing.

She barely spoke when they first met.
No eye contact. No trust. No reason to believe things could be different.

But week by week, ARCH Manager LaVon Dunnigan-Bradley kept showing up, just to listen.

That’s the heart of the ARCH program at Outreach: walking alongside high school students navigating housing insecurity with quiet consistency, not quick fixes.

Now, that same student is preparing for college and helping others find their voice too.

On June 7, we’ll celebrate graduates like her, young people who’ve overcome real barriers with resilience, hope, and the steady support of someone who didn’t give up on them.

Find which housing option is the best path for you by reviewing the different entryways into the Housing System. Quickly gain a better understanding of each housing category and how to access them.

On November 8, we hosted an unforgettable early Thanksgiving dinner for youth and their families, bringing together over 170 guests at Cornerstone Lutheran Church. It was a night filled with warmth, delicious food, winter essentials, and, most importantly, hope.

Outreach Indiana is proud to announce its recent Indiana Arts Commission grant to support the "Portraits of Champions" art exhibit. This special gallery, featuring artwork created by youth experiencing homelessness, highlights their resilience and personal stories. Led by local artist Boxx The Artist, the exhibit will be showcased at the 2024 Transform Event on September 12th. This grant reflects the power of art to foster community connection and support Outreach Indiana's mission to end youth homelessness.