Lea Durbin, Executive Director at Beyond Homeless, Inc, has been elected Co-Chair of Homeless Council of the Wabash Valley.

The Homeless Council of the Wabash Valley (HCWV) is one of 16 regional planning councils in the Indiana Balance of State Continuum of Care.  Also known as Region 7, counties included in the region are Clay, Parke, Putnam, Sullivan, Vermillion and Vigo counties. The council meets regularly to develop and implement strategies for homelessness alleviation.

The purpose of the Homeless Council of the Wabash Valley is to align with the Indiana Balance of State Continuum of Care roles and responsibilities outlined in the McKinney-Vento Homeless Act as amended by the Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing (HEARTH) Act of 2009.

The guiding principles of the Homeless Council of the Wabash Valley include a commitment to:

• Ending homelessness with a solution driven and consumer based approach that aligns with federal, state, and local practices that are evidence based or emerging models that can be measured.
• Fiscal Stewardship
• Investment for outcome measurement, analyzing, performance, and incorporating information into future decision making and strategizing.
• Soliciting and incorporating feedback from members regarding local needs and priorities.
• Ethical collaboration, respecting the importance of communication, transparency, and accountability.
• Promotes community-wide commitment to the goal of ending homelessness
• Assists in coordinating funding related to ending homelessness for individuals and families.
• Promote access to services for homeless individuals and families experiencing homelessness.
• Provide the infrastructure for optimizing self-sufficiency among individuals and families experiencing homelessness.

Leading Beyond Homeless, Inc since mid-November 2019, Lea Durbin successfully navigated the organization through the COVID 19 pandemic, expanded programs and services offered by Beyond Homeless, Inc, as well as built collaborative partnerships with community organizations that provide additional, yet critical, resources and services to the individuals and families experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness in the communities served by Beyond Homeless.

A member of the Homeless Council of the Wabash Valley since 2019, Lea has participated in revising and updating regional Coordinated Entry policies and procedures, as well as participate in collaborative discussions with member agencies regarding the growing needs in the communities served by the HCWV, and how to better meet those needs. As Co-Chair of the Homeless Council of the Wabash Valley she'll be able to bring more visibility and awareness of the differences between rural, suburban, and urban homelessness while working alongside regional partners to identify solutions tailored to the needs of the rural communities within the region.

Incorporated in 2012, Beyond Homeless, Inc empowers individuals and families experiencing, or at risk of homelessness in the Putnam County Region to become self-sufficient and work to prevent homelessness among our neighbors.