A successful pilot program that connects Indianapolis' unhoused and most vulnerable residents to stable housing is expanding to help even more people after proving its effectiveness in its first year.The Master Leasing program, which launched as a pilot in 2024, has successfully housed 30 individuals and families who remain housed today.The program which is a partnership between the City of Indianapolis and Damien Center."Master leasing works with the most complicated people who are experiencing homelessness and helps get them housed," said Alan Witchey, president and CEO of Damien Center. Many participants cannot secure leases in their own names due to criminal backgrounds, substance use history, or previous difficulties maintaining housing."What we do is we put the lease in our name as an organization, and then we sublease essentially to the client," Witchey said.B'ianca Diamond, who lived in her car for two years, is one of the program's success stories. She now works at Cafe Oztara on the Damien Center's campus and has stable housing."It was hard for me to ask for help, and I kinda had no choice to ask for help because I needed it," Diamond said. "It's changed me, being able to be more independent and having my own house was a blessing with the Damien Center." The program provides a rental subsidy for participants, but it's about more than just housing."It's intensive case management, employment support, peer recovery, medical care, all the things that they need to get stable and move on to self-sufficiency eventually," Witchey said.Based on the pilot's success, Indianapolis has committed $1 million per year for the next five years to expand the program. The next phase launches this month, continuing with the original 30 households while adding 45 more."The city made this commitment because we were successful in the pilot. So it's pretty extraordinary the city of Indianapolis that has never ever done this before, as stepping up in this way to really end homelessness for some very, very significant populations that otherwise don't have options," Witchey said. Auboni Hart, the chief communications officer of the Department of Metropolitan Development, emphasized the program's track record."We were able to house 30 individuals, and to date, those 30 individuals and families are also still housed," Hart said.Participants are selected from a list created by the Coalition for Homelessness Intervention and Prevention. Many are currently living in shelters, on the streets or in their cars, and are chosen because they struggle the most to secure housing through traditional means.For Diamond, the program represents more than housing. It's a path to independence and stability she hadn't experienced in years."I love it. It's the best thing I could ever wish for," Diamond said. ...read more read less