A trio of DePauw School of Music students has partnered with Beyond Homeless Incorporated for a night of music and awareness on homelessness in Putnam County.

Bobbie Lancaster, Derek Chastain, Gus Moon, Him & Her and the DePauw School of Music will join forces for the Beyond the Music benefit concert event, which is scheduled to be held Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. on the Square.

In addition to music, there will also be a raffle featuring various gift cards, sets of tickets to Indiana Beach and more.

According to Lea Durbin, executive director of Beyond Homeless Incorporated, homelessness in Putnam County is “either the worst kept secret or the best kept secret.”

“It is a night to bring the community together with music and a benefit to the shelter. We would love to pack the square and the streets. It will be goodwill donation, as we don’t want to keep anyone from coming in who wants to,” Durbin told Putnam County Post.

Homelessness is a growing epidemic in Putnam County, as well as requests for services, according to Durbin.

Durbin told the Putnam County Post that during the Point in Time Count of homelessness, Beyond Homeless Incorporated identified and engaged with 17 people who are not residents in shelters in Putnam County.

“There is a need. We have a total of 62 total people in the county that we have identified. We have a homeless prevention program, as well, where we provide assistance for families in need. In 2021 alone, we provided $39,000 assistance for rent, mortgage and electric. We average 58 requests a month for services, including emergency food boxes. The need is growing and it is a heartbreaking thing to think about. Without the support of the community, we couldn’t do what we need to do,” Durbin said.

Durbin added that during Covid, requests have gone up and down in cycles.

“When everything was locked down, we were deemed essential and could not close, and our capacity in our women’s shelter was at 22 out of 24 people. We dropped down to around 15 after that. Since then, we see an increase when there is a rise in positive cases. Some people have been off work for months, not been able to go back and we now have long-term effects of Covid that we are just now starting to see,” Durbin said.

For more information on the benefit or Beyond Homeless Incorporated, call 765-301-9263.