Get Connected at the Maurice Young Community Resource Fair

Maurice Young | Maurice Young

By Press release submission

Nov 12, 2022

Learn about the services and programs provided by local community resource organizations at the Maurice Young Community Resource Fair, taking place Tuesday, Nov. 15 from 1 - 7 p.m. at Central Library.

Resource providers will share services related to substance abuse, mental health, medical screenings, homeless resources, employment, and services from teen/youth agencies.

The fair honors the memory of Maurice Young, who was an advocate for people experiencing homelessness. Young lived amongst people experiencing homelessness by choice and educated the Indianapolis community on their needs, leading food and supply drives and fighting for policy change. He visited Central Library weekly to help people connect to vital community resources, often assisting individuals with obtaining a driver’s license, birth certificate, SNAP benefits, housing, medical insurance, food, phones, and clothing. After Young passed away in January of 2022, The Library’s Homeless Resource Committee met with Young’s family to discuss a resource fair to honor his memory.

“We decided to call it a community resource fair, as many individuals in the community struggle to connect with the same resources that our unhoused neighbors need,” said Yanna McGraw, The Indianapolis Public Library's social worker. “Our current reality in the community is that many of us are just one or two paychecks from being unhoused or in need of community resources. It is my hope that we start here at Central Library and grow this to be a yearly system-wide event that our community can count on to make connections to valuable resources.”

IndyPL’s Homeless Resource Committee was established in 2021 to form partnerships with community organizations and provide quality programming, resources, connections with services, and outreach for people experiencing homelessness and related challenges in Indianapolis.

“The Library provides a safe, welcoming refuge that is shelter from the elements and is often open when other service agencies are closed,” said Elizabeth Schoettle, area resource manager for the West Region of The Indianapolis Public Library. “Patrons experiencing homelessness who visit The Library often have specialized information needs such as assistance accessing shelter, healthcare, clothing, and food resources. In some cases, they need crisis intervention.”

The Maurice Young Community Resource Fair will help The Library achieve its strategic priority of enriching relationships with our current partners and developing new partnerships around the city to enhance and supplement the exceptional grassroots and educational work currently underway in the community.

More than 40 resource providers are participating. Participating organizations include: