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Former Indianapolis school building to shelter homeless families this winter

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Former Indianapolis school building to shelter homeless families this winter


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A former Indianapolis elementary school will shelter as many as 40 families who are homeless this winter as part of a city program that aims to ensure all residents can sleep indoors on frigid nights.

The building, once home to Susan Leach School 68 on the east side at 2107 N. Riley Ave., will open Dec. 15 as an overflow shelter as part of the city’s Winter Contingency Plan, according to a city press release. From Nov. 1 through the end of March, the program puts people in shelter spaces that aren’t available during warmer months.

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Indianapolis Public Schools hasn’t hosted instruction at School 68 since 2009 and uses the building as storage space. The facility has served as shelter space in past years when Wheeler Mission, the city’s largest shelter provider, saw a surge in need during the pandemic.

“The families will be housed in pods of four, but we do have the ability to accommodate larger families,” said Andrew Merkley, the director of homelessness and eviction prevention for Mayor Joe Hogsett’s administration. “They’ll be in the gymnasium but also in the classrooms there at the school. We’ll utilize the cafeteria for food.”

Brian Crispin, Wheeler Mission’s senior director of community relations and development, said his organization’s Center for Women and Children downtown has room for 30 families year-round.

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Last winter, however, the center packed in 40 more families who came to Wheeler Mission in need of emergency shelter. The School 68 shelter opening next week is a better solution for those families, Crispin said.

“When we reach numbers that we were seeing in the past couple of years,” Crispin said, “we weren’t able to operate in ways that were helpful to our guests.”

As of this week, Wheeler Mission is sheltering about 660 people in Indianapolis, according to Crispin. The organization doesn’t track the exact number of guests in families, but a 2024 citywide count included 421 adults and children in homeless families. About 1,700 people were homeless overall.

Until School 68 opens, the city is paying for 37 families to stay in hotel rooms to get out of the cold, Merkley said. The money comes from the city’s $578,000 contribution to this winter’s contingency plan. Merkley expects many of those families will move to the School 68 shelter once it opens.

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Merkley said School 68 is a solution only for this winter, and it’s unclear whether the city will open additional shelter space for families. The city of Indianapolis will open a year-round low-barrier shelter on the southeast side by 2027, with 20 units reserved for families of four.

Aspire Indiana Health, a community health provider in Indianapolis, will lead the overflow shelter at School 68, providing medical services and case management to homeless families.

How families who are homeless can find shelter

To find shelter this winter, families can call the Mayor’s Action Center at 317-327-4622 during regular business hours, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

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The city’s Office of Public Health Health and Safety is working with HealthNet’s Homeless Initiative Program and local trustee offices to place families in emergency shelter. Call HealthNet for an appointment at 317-957-2275.

How Indianapolis pays for Winter Contingency Plan

The roughly $1.5 million winter contingency plan is funded by multiple sources, including $750,000 from the Lilly Endowment, $578,000 in taxpayer money from the city, $50,000 from The Indianapolis Foundation, $50,000 from United Way of Central Indiana and more than $63,000 from the Coalition for Homelessness Intervention and Prevention.

Email IndyStar Housing, Growth and Development Reporter Jordan Smith at JTsmith@gannett.com. Follow him on X: @jordantsmith09





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Indianapolis, IN

IMPD: Man stabbed in downtown Indianapolis

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IMPD: Man stabbed in downtown Indianapolis


INDIANAPOLIS — A person was stabbed in downtown Indianapolis Sunday evening.

According to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, officers were called to the intersection of East Market and North Delaware Streets around 8:28 p.m. to investigate a stabbing. When police arrived at the scene, they located an adult male victim with apparent stab wounds.

Photo of IMPD investigating a stabbing at the intersection of East Market and North Delaware Streets on April 19, 2026, captured by a FOX59/CBS4 crew.

IMPD has confirmed that the victim was transported from the scene to a local hospital in critical but stable condition.

Investigators believe the stabbing “stemmed from a disturbance between multiple individuals and the victim.”

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IMPD has reported that it has not identified or detained any suspects or persons of interest at this point in its investigation of the stabbing. Police have indicated that they are hoping witnesses come forward with information that can help them identify or locate the suspects.

“The officers now are doing a complete investigation,” IMPD Lieutenant Frank Wooten said during a media briefing Sunday night. “They’re going to investigate this to the best of their ability. We’re going to try to locate our suspect, arrest the suspect, prosecute the suspect and hold that suspect accountable for this heinous crime in Indianapolis. This is not an indication of what our city is about. This is not an indication of what we do downtown, and we hold this to be very serious. So, we will hold whoever did this responsible for their actions tonight.”

Sunday night’s stabbing represented a continuation of a violent weekend in downtown Indianapolis.

Early Sunday morning, two men were critically injured in a shooting near a White Castle on South Street. Before that shooting occurred, police arrested two juveniles on gun charges at Monument Circle.

Police also conducted a shooting investigation near the Hilton hotel located at 120 W. Market St. around 4 a.m. Sunday. Nobody was injured in that shooting.

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Elsewhere in the city, a person was injured in a shooting in a CVS parking lot on Kentucky Avenue Saturday evening. Another individual was killed in a shooting outside a residence in the 2300 block of South Pennsylvania Street Saturday night.

Public police reporting systems indicate IMPD has investigated nine shootings that caused injuries since midnight Saturday. During that same timeframe, IMPD has investigated six shootings that did not result in any injuries and five stabbings.

Numbers available on shootings and stabbings in IMPD’s public reporting system may not be complete, as some reports on weekend shootings and stabbings may not have been entered yet.

“This is not what we want Indianapolis to be,” Wooten said. “This is not what we expect out of the citizens of Indianapolis. We expect them to be safe, come downtown and have a good time, and be able to go home the same way they came down here. So, we will hold these suspects, once located, accountable for this crime.”

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1 dead after shooting on Indy’s near south side

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1 dead after shooting on Indy’s near south side


INDIANAPOLIS — One person died in a shooting on Indy’s near south side on Saturday evening.

According to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, officers were called to the 2300 block of S. Pennsylvania Street at approximately 9:45 p.m. on report of a shooting. This is a residential area located near Raymond Street and Madison Avenue.

Officers reported finding an adult male suffering from an apparent gunshot wound outside a residence. The victim was rushed to an area hospital in critical condition, but later was pronounced deceased.

The Marion County Coroner’s Office has not released the deceased’s name at this time.

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Police ask anyone with information about this shooting to contact Detective Kristina Friel at the IMPD Homicide Office at (317) 327-3475 or e-mail the detective at Kristina.Friel@indy.gov. To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at (317) 262-TIPS.



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Pirates farm report for April 18, 2026: Rafael Flores Jr. hits 1st homer in Indianapolis win

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Pirates farm report for April 18, 2026: Rafael Flores Jr. hits 1st homer in Indianapolis win


INDIANAPOLIS (Triple A, 6-14) thumped Omaha (Royals), 11-3. 1B Rafael Flores Jr. (.206) went 2 for 3 with a double, his first home run, two runs scored and three RBIs. LF Tyler Callihan (.239) went 3 for 4 with a double and his first homer, a two-run shot. DH Enmanuel Valdez (.273) went 2 for 4 with his first homer and three runs scored. RF Esmerlyn Valdez (.258) went 2 for 5 with two doubles and a run scored. SS Davis Wendzel (.269) went 1 for 3 with a double, two walks, two runs scored and two RBIs. RHP Carson Fulmer (2-0, 5.51) started, gave up three runs on three hits in five innings and earned the win. RHP Chris Devenski (1.50) and LHP Joe La Sorsa (3.24) each pitched two scoreless innings.

Next: Sunday at Omaha (Royals), 3:05 p.m.

ALTOONA (Double-A, 2-12) had two hits – both solo home runs – and beat Portland (Red Sox), 2-0. LHP Dominic Perachi (1-0, 1.80) started and went six innings, allowing three hits and two walks with three strikeouts. RHP Landon Tomkins (3.38) followed with two scoreless. RHP Jaycob Deese (3.00) worked the ninth for his first save. LF Titus Dumitru (.146) went 1 for 3 with his second homer. C Shawn Ross (.182) went 1 for 3 with his second homer.

Next: Sunday vs. Portland (Red Sox), 1 p.m.

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GREENSBORO (High-A, 10-4) lost 8-3 to Brooklyn (Mets). C Easton Carmichael (.273) went 2 for 4 with an RBI. RF Shalin Polanco (.250) went 1 for 3 with a stolen base and an RBI. 1B Jared Jones (.277) went 2 for 5 with a run scored. RHP Carlson Reed (0-1, 7.36) started, recorded one out and gave up four runs on two hits and four walks. RHP Jose Garces (3.60) pitched two scoreless innings.

Next: Sunday at Brooklyn (Mets), 2 p.m.

BRADENTON (Low-A, 5-9) allowed seven stolen bases in its 6-5 loss to Tampa (Yankees). CF Edward Florentino, starting a rehab assignment as he recovers from an ankle injury, went 1 for 3 with a walk, double and run scored. LHP Reinold Navarro (6.43) started and gave up three hits, four walks and two earned runs over three innings while striking out five. SS/1B Eddie Rynders (.128) went 2 for 4 with a double and an RBI. DH Edgleen Perez (.238) went 1 for 4 and drove in two runs. LF/CF Josh Tate (.208) went 2 for 5 with an RBI. 2B/SS Antonio Pimentel (.154) went 2 for 4 with a double. RHP Greiber Mendez (5.40) and RHP Noah Murdock (0-1, 9.00), who took the loss, each gave up two hits and one run in one inning. RHP Treyson Peters pitched the final three innings, allowing five hits, one earned run and one walk while striking out two.

Next: Sunday at Tampa (Yankees), noon

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