Indianapolis, IN
Indy community leaders urge mayor to address homelessness crisis
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Indianapolis church leaders and community advocates are banning together to write a formal letter to Mayor Joe Hogsett asking him to help them solve the city’s homelessness crisis.
John Miller, of Indianapolis, found shelter just three days ago — after 13 months of waiting.
“It’s been pretty long and hard,” Miller said. “I mean, everybody’s trying to help you, but they got their own long wait list of their own.”
The list is long, and the wait can be deadly. Just a few months ago, Miller’s friend froze to death while waiting for housing.
The city estimates there are about 1,700 people experiencing homelessness in Indianapolis, and many more are on the Indianapolis Housing Agency’s section 8 waitlist.
“It currently has over 8,000 people waiting for housing, which means if you can qualify for public housing assistance, you would, and will be homeless without someone to help you,” community advocate Wildstyle Paschall said.
Paschall gathered earlier this month with at least 50 other community members looking to solve the issue, including Purpose of Life Ministries Senior Pastor Rev. David Greene, Sr.
The group says the problem can be fixed with funds through city government, along with corporate and philanthropic partnerships — all things they believe can only be brought together by Hogsett. The group chose to write a formal letter to the mayor.
“It was unanimously determined that only Mayor Hogsett has the ability to raise the necessary
resources to solve homelessness in Indy and the community must raise their voices and hold
him accountable,” the letter says.
Paschall says they are asking for a detailed plan with benchmarks to lower homelessness in the area. The group says they are aware of the IHA’s recent hiring of a new director, but feel she needs the support of the mayor to make change.
“We’re helping with that, we’ve got numbers that we would love to talk to the mayor and his people about,” Paschall said. “There are people in this city and organizations that want to help, and really it’s going to take the mayor to go bring everybody together to get the resources so that we can fix public housing.”
To help tackle the issue, Hogsett formed the 17-member Mayor’s Leadership Council on Homelessness last fall. The council also includes a “homelessness czar.” The members represent varying areas in the city, including philanthropic and business sectors.
“On October 1, 2024, the Greater Indianapolis Progress Committee (GIPC) convened the first meeting of the Mayor’s Leadership Council on Homelessness (MLCH) at my request,” a spokesperson for the mayor said in response to the letter. “This group represents passionate leadership from Indianapolis’ civic, philanthropic, corporate, and healthcare sectors. I, along with each member of the Leadership Council, is unified by the same mission: to end chronic, street homelessness in Indianapolis and to reduce racial disparities for those experiencing homelessness. The MLCH is tasked with finding solutions to achieve that goal, which includes activating human and financial resources, removing barriers to implementation, as well as leveraging each member’s sphere of influence to enact meaningful change. We have laid the groundwork for change with the MLCH and are pivoting to stakeholder engagement and action that results in demonstrable impact in the lives of our unhoused neighbors. Whether it is through the new master leasing program or the ongoing work to add even more permanent supportive housing units, the City remains focused on utilizing its resources and community partnerships to support our unhoused neighbors.”
Greene is on the council, but wants more to be done.
“We have to stand up,” Greene said. “That’s what the Bible commands of us, what God expects of us, and so to see people suffer in a country as rich as ours and the state. We’re able to do other things, clearly. Why aren’t we able to do more to solve the homeless problem here in Indianapolis?”
Miller tells me he believes any support from local leaders will lead to him staying off the streets, and making sure his friends do too.
For a full copy of the letter, click below.
IndyCar race results from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway
IndyCar Series drivers are on the grid in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course is set to host a day of open wheel racing.
View Indianapolis race results for the IndyCar Series below.
Alex Palou and Pato O’Ward set the front row. 85 laps laps of stock car racing are up next…
Race Report
Green flag, Alex Palou is clear out of turn one. Pato O’Ward is turned! Scott Dixon and others are collected. The caution is out.
Penalty: Felix Rosenqvist will serve a drive thru penalty for contact in turn one.
Green, Palou leads Malukas and Kirkwood into turn one.
Lap 7, Kirkwood dives inside of Malukas into turn one. Kirkwood takes 2nd away.
Lap 21, Alexander Rossi is stalled and the caution is out. Multiple pit strategies are now in play.
Palou heads for the pit lane. Power is handed the lead as Palou restarts 19th.
Green, Power leads Malukas and Lundgaard. Felix Rosenqvist jumps over the top of Kyffin Simpson, caution.
Power pits from the lead with others. Malukas is handed the lead.
Green, Malukas leads Lunagaard into turn one.
Lap 48, Malukas and others head for the pit lane. Lundgaard pits the following lap. Malukas cycles out ahead. Malukas is saving fuel.
Lap 52, Power leads Malukas by 8 seconds.
Lap 63, Alex Palou pits for the final time from 5th.
20 to go, Lundgaard and many of the leaders dive for the pit lane. A lap later, Malukas heads for the pit lane.
Malukas cycles out ahead of Lundgaard. Lundgaard trails by 1.3 seconds.
18 to go, Lundgaard is all over the gearbox of the leader! Malukas blocks the inside into turn one. He misses a shift and Lundgaard pulls on the outside. They fight for space into turn four, Lundgaard to the lead!
8 to go, Lundgaard leads Malukas by 3 seconds. He’s driving away.
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Race Results
May 9, 2026
IndyCar Series
Pos | Driver
1. Christian Lundgaard
2. David Malukas
3. Graham Rahal
4. Josef Newgarden
5. Alex Palou
6. Scott Dixon
7. Louis Foster
8. Dennis Hauger
9. Kyle Kirkwood
10. Nolan Siegel
11. Marcus Armstrong
12. Kyffin Simpson
13. Will Power
14. Santino Ferrucci
15. Rinus VeeKay
16. Scott McLaughlin
17. Sting Ray Robb
18. Pato O’Ward
19. Caio Collet
20. Mick Schumacher
21. Romain Grosjean
22. Marcus Ericsson
23. Felix Rosenqvist
24. Christian Rasmussen
25. Alexander Rossi
IndyCar Series
Point Standings
Pending
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Video Highlights
Pending
Links
Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Indycar
TODAY
Early clouds give way to gradual clearing, and the afternoon turns much nicer than the damp start might suggest. Highs reach the mid 70s, with a west-southwest breeze around 10 to 15 mph and gusts up to 25 mph. Once we get past the morning gray, this looks like a very usable day for outdoor plans, just a bit breezy at times.
TONIGHT
Clouds increase again overnight, and scattered showers with a few thunderstorms may arrive late, mainly after 3 a.m. Lows settle in the mid 50s, with a light breeze becoming northerly late. Most of the evening stays quiet, but by early Sunday morning a few neighborhoods could hear some rain on the roof.
MOTHER’S DAY
Cooler than Saturday, with a mix of clouds and some breaks of sun along with the chance for an isolated shower. Highs top out in the mid 60s, and a north breeze around 5 to 10 mph adds a slightly cooler feel. It is not a washout, but it is also not as nice as Saturday afternoon, especially south of Indianapolis where a stray shower may hang on longer.
TOMORROW NIGHT
Partly cloudy and cooler, with lows in the mid 40s and a north northeast breeze around 5 to 10 mph. The air dries out nicely, and this looks like a quiet, comfortable night across central Indiana.
MONDAY
Bright and seasonably cool with sunshine taking over. Highs reach the mid 60s, with a light north wind around 5 to 10 mph in the afternoon. This looks like one of the cleaner forecast days of the stretch, great for errands, practices, or getting outside without weather trouble.
MONDAY NIGHT
Mostly clear and chilly again, with lows in the low to mid 40s and light wind fading late. Quiet weather continues, and there are no meaningful travel concerns overnight.
TUESDAY
Another decent start, then clouds begin to increase later with a chance for showers and thunderstorms after mid afternoon. Highs reach the mid 60s, with a light south southwest breeze around 5 to 10 mph. Most of the day still looks usable, but the late afternoon and evening carry the next better rain signal.
TUESDAY NIGHT
Showers and thunderstorms become more likely for part of the night before activity starts to ease later on. Lows hold in the low to mid 50s, with a south-southwest wind around 10 to 15 mph and gusts up to 25 mph. It does not look like a high-end severe setup right now, but it is enough of a signal to keep an eye on late evening plans.
WEDNESDAY
A leftover shower is possible early, then the trend turns drier with more sun returning through the day. Highs recover into the upper 60s, and a northwest breeze around 10 to 15 mph with gusts up to 25 mph will make it feel a little brisker at times. The day improves as it goes, and by afternoon it should look much better than the early morning may suggest.
7 DAY FORECAST
After a milder Saturday and a small late Saturday night into Sunday shower window, the broader pattern settles down for Sunday night and Monday with quieter, cooler weather in place. The next more meaningful chance for rain arrives Tuesday into Tuesday night as another system approaches, then drier conditions return Wednesday as that system pulls away. Temperatures run in the 70s Saturday, slip back into the 60s Sunday through Tuesday, then edge a little milder again by midweek. Confidence is best in the quiet Sunday night through Monday stretch, while the exact timing of Tuesday afternoon and Tuesday night rain could still wobble a bit.
Editor’s note: This interview is part of our ‘Meet the Candidates’ show. Watch past episodes here.
After working in education for about 15 years, Andrea Hunley won her first bid for political office four years ago in an Indiana Senate district covering the core of Indianapolis.
On May 8, Hunley, 42, officially launched her campaign for an office that she says feels closer to home: Indianapolis mayor.
About a year ahead of the May 2027 mayoral primary, Hunley sat down with IndyStar on May 5 to discuss what she hopes to accomplish as mayor, why her candidacy differs from her challengers, and how she thinks about hot-button issues like education, public safety and data centers.
At this point, Hunley will face longtime Indianapolis City-County Councilor Vop Osili and Department of Public Works administrator David Bride. Both candidates will also be invited for sit-down interviews with IndyStar in the coming weeks.
Email Indianapolis City Hall Reporter Jordan Smith at JTSmith@indystar.com. Follow him on X @jordantsmith09 and Bluesky @jordanaccidentally.bsky.social.
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