Content note: This episode contains references to self-harm and suicidal ideation. Please be careful with yourselves.

Hello, Homeward Indy Listeners, this is Elliot Zans, co-producer and occasional host. I want to personally welcome you all to the last and pinnacle episode of 2024. Today I am privileged to present a conversation between myself and my dear friend Nancy as she shares her experience of being homeless in Indianapolis. This episode is both an indictment of systems and institutions and a love letter to the community of compassionate people who exist within and beyond those systems. While Nancy’s story is unique, the number of people who experience homelessness in our community is becoming alarmingly common.

Nancy’s testimony uncovers the raw challenges of homelessness—surviving on limited resources, battling health issues without adequate medical supplies, weighing medical crises against access to shelter, and facing systemic gaps within the shelter system. Her hard-won transition to stability is marked by moments of unexpected support, from friends stepping in during crises to compassionate healthcare workers who became lifelong allies. Nancy’s experience underscores the struggle for dignity and the transformative power of timely, compassionate assistance. She makes an irrefutable case for compassion, and a poignant call for those experiencing homelessness to hold fast to hope- a better life can be reached.