New Carlisle holds working session on homelessness, elder care and dilapidated housing

City of New Carlisle elected officials, first responders and community nonprofits met in a special working session to discuss a cluster of human-service problems — rising visible homelessness, frail or isolated elderly residents and dangerous housing conditions — and to identify short‑ and medium‑term steps for better local coordination.

The session centered on why those problems matter in New Carlisle: Mayor Bill Cook and City Manager Don Hall described repeated emergency calls and individual cases that local responders are handling without reliable county or regional follow‑up. “If we can't take care of our own folks, you know, it's kind of hard to get to the second and third layer issues that we have,” City Manager Don Hall said.

Chief Steve Trustee of New Carlisle Fire & EMS told the council that “most of our runs in the city area ... are EMS calls,” and described frequent responses to elderly residents living alone, hoarding situations and some deaths discovered after a long interval. Deputy Jacob O'Brien of the Clark County Sheriff's Office said community interactions vary widely: “Depends on the person,” he said, when asked whether residents are hostile to deputies or open to assistance.

Officials and nonprofit leaders described several recurring problems: an estimated 15–20 people who are currently unsheltered in town, numerous properties in severely degraded condition and a large apartment complex (referred to in the meeting as Bell Manor) with repeated police and EMS calls and safety concerns such as chained exit doors. The city’s planning director and code enforcement staff said they can identify roughly 17 properties that “should be condemned” or that present significant safety hazards, but that enforcement capacity is limited.

City staff emphasized the limits of existing authority and resources. The planning director said New Carlisle currently relies on one part‑time code enforcer and the planning director to cover the city's rooftops, and the city manager warned that ordinances without enforceable capacity would amount to “a law with no legs.” The fire chief and code staff noted that some enforcement depends on external technical codes (for example, National Fire Protection Association standards and the State Fire Marshal) and that local code language and citations need updating before fines or quick tickets can be issued in mayor's court.

Nonprofit and faith‑based groups in the room described local supports and shortfalls. St. Vincent de Paul and other community partners were credited with helping an individual veteran quickly obtain identification and placement in a 90‑day program; the Nehemiah Foundation representative said the foundation partners with churches and can provide food, clothing and limited utility or furniture assistance (the representative described available assistance up to about $250 per case and volunteer capacity two days per week). Participants also discussed Care Portal, a national program that connects school guidance counselors with caring churches; meeting participants said Care Portal currently works with some Clark County school districts and could be a model to expand or adapt for other vulnerable groups.

Council members and staff discussed possible next steps: better local coordination so dispatchers, deputies, fire/EMS and code enforcement have a single list of faith‑based and nonprofit referral options; an expanded volunteer network for property abatements and basic repairs; and considering a funded coordinator or social‑services position to centralize referrals, help residents with benefits and assist staff with follow‑up. The city manager said a part‑time social worker had been funded with a grant in the prior year and that the council will consider budget options in upcoming budget discussions. Several participants urged building a local, trauma‑informed mobile‑response option modeled on mobile crisis teams in neighboring jurisdictions.

The council agreed on a limited set of formal actions to continue work: it suspended the rules of council for the special meeting at the start of the session; scheduled a follow‑up community coordination meeting (referred to in the proceeding as the “23rd”); and placed an executive session on the next regular meeting agenda to address personnel/goals for the city manager. The meeting closed with a strong emphasis from multiple speakers on volunteer mobilization and pragmatic, incremental steps rather than rapid government expansion.

The working session produced no ordinance or formal policy adoption; council members asked staff to return with scoped options, cost estimates and anonymized counts of call types (homelessness, hoarding/property condemnation, elder welfare checks, drug/alcohol calls) ahead of the 2026 budget process so the council can evaluate staffing and enforcement choices.