INDIANAPOLIS — As the city works to reduce homelessness, an Indianapolis couple is getting out in the community to make sure change happens.
Kelsi Means said she was feel low-spirited about Christmas and admitted she was having a hard time finding holiday cheer.
"I gave myself a reality check. Don't be ungrateful. There are people who don't have roofs over their head," Means said.
That's when the light bulb went off and she got to work on a plan to help those who need it the most. Means works downtown and said it is impossible to overlook the issue of homelessness in the area.
"I asked my husband, 'Hey, you want to do this on Christmas, even if it is just you and me?'" she said.
Her husband agreed to help pass out warm plates of food on Christmas Eve to those who have nowhere to go or those who just can't make it to a shelter or a soup kitchen. But the couple decided to take it a step further.
"They are out there freezing on the cold, cold ground, and they need gloves and socks and things like that," Means said.
Means said she wants to give out necessities to the ones shivering in the cold on Christmas.
"If you are at the grocery store or doing your regular shopping, pick up a pack of gloves, pick up a pack of socks or two packs of socks," she said.
RTV6 asked city leaders how the plan is going to work against homelessness, and they said they are making strides.
At the start of 2019, the city extended parking meter times saying that some of the money could go towards helping people experiencing homelessness in the city.
And according to the city, that money has made a difference. It funds Path to Employment, a program that gives 43 people experiencing homelessness a chance to earn daily.
RTV6 is told 18 of those workers have moved on to permanent jobs and the program could move from pilot to permanent next year.
Anyone who would like to help the couple's outreach can visit their Facebook page, text 317-623-8615 or email homelessoutreachindy@gmail.com.
