Construction has begun on the Housing Hub, the planned low-barrier shelter and housing navigation center going up in the 1000 block of East Georgia Street just north of Fountain Square. The facility, expected to open in 2027, will offer 150 beds for individuals, couples and families, along with a day center, housing navigation services and the option for residents to bring pets.
What the Housing Hub Will Offer
According to the City of Indianapolis - Government, the Housing Hub is part of the city's multipronged approach to creating a housing ecosystem that supports all, and it will connect people with essential services and housing placement support. The post describes the project as Indianapolis's first low-barrier shelter and housing navigation center, built to provide shelter to individuals, couples and families who may not qualify under the current shelter system.
The 63,000-square-foot building will provide 150 beds in private rooms, according to the Indianapolis Business Journal. Twenty units with four beds each will serve families, 10 units with two beds each will host couples, and the remaining 50 beds will go to individuals. The outlet also reports the shelter will waive common entry requirements like sobriety and income and will stay open 24/7, and that it will allow residents to bring pets.
Who Will Run It, and How It's Funded
Per the same report, Horizon House will serve as operator for the Housing Hub's day center and housing navigation center, while Aspire Indiana Health will operate the low-barrier shelter. Fox59 notes those two organizations began negotiating with the city in September 2024 to potentially take on those roles. The $32 million project draws on $12 million committed by city government, matched by a $20 million grant from the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority, as reported by WIBC.
Indianapolis broke ground on the long-awaited project on Thursday, October 30, 2025. Mirror Indy reports a $2.7 million operating budget is included for 2027. The city's own Facebook post, however, states Indianapolis will dedicate nearly $2.8 million to the Housing Hub in its proposed 2027 budget — a discrepancy between the two figures that has not been resolved. Fox59 reports the project is intended to centralize supportive resources and lower barriers to shelter for people experiencing homelessness, with Mayor Joe Hogsett saying the shelter's housing-first approach puts Indianapolis on the same track as cities like Milwaukee and Houston.
The Backdrop: A Flat but Shifting Homeless Count
The project arrives as Indianapolis's homelessness numbers hold mostly steady even as the makeup of that population shifts. The city's January point-in-time count tallied 1,821 residents experiencing homelessness, just six more than in 2025, according to WFYI. Of those, 1,346 were in emergency shelters, 203 were in transitional housing and 272 were unsheltered — a 15% unsheltered share that actually represents an 18% drop from the 331 unsheltered residents counted in 2025.
WFYI also reports the number counted in shelters rose 4% from the prior year, even as more than 2,000 individuals enter homelessness in Indianapolis annually and nearly 25,000 eviction filings were made across the city the previous year. The station notes the Streets to Home Indy initiative had already housed more than 200 people by midyear. Against that backdrop, the Housing Hub is designed to catch people who fall outside the current shelter system's entry rules — couples, families and individuals alike — while construction continues toward its planned 2027 opening.
