INDIANAPOLIS — A woman who runs an Indianapolis non-profit is being honored for her efforts. 

Yvette Markey’s non-profit InTouch Outreach Resource Center helps those with substance abuse, mental health disorders, and food insecurity. 

“Help people in the neighborhood who are struggling. Our mission is to connect people in need to people who care,” said Markey. 

She was recently given an award for her work helping the homeless. 

She’s using her past experiences to help others. 

“Here I am now, and this is where I was, and I get it,” she said. 

“I understand the anxiousness. And I understand the worry. And I understand the desperation.” 

Right now, she’s working on a project to spread the knowledge of how Narcan can help save a life. It’s called understand the can, and they are raising awareness to help prevent overdose deaths. 

She says her group is authorized by the state to give out Narcan and share how to use it. 

They do outreach on the third Sunday of every month where they go out into city parks and explain how it works in person. 

They’ve been doing this since April, and she says they’ve had at least four people reach out letting them know how it’s helped them save a loved one. 

“We know it’s going to happen. And we don’t push abstinence. People are going to do them [drugs] at the end of the day. And we just want people to know that there’s ways to reduce that harm, that is death that could come,” Markey said. 

“The impact is huge. Four may seem like a little number, but if you think about each individual, how many lives are attached to them that are saved since they lived. 

That’s only one of their areas of help. Markey says she’s able to help with so much because she’s been through so much. 

“So I pay it forward by making myself available. And being vulnerable and willing to share the same struggles that I’ve had in the past,” said Markey. 

“Inspiration, education, and motivation. If I can inspire you to be at least interested in educating yourself to be better, then you can do better.” 

Markey was recently given the Diamond Service Award from the Coalition for Homelessness Intervention and Prevention. Because of that, she got to go to a national conference where she got training on what others are doing to end homelessness across the country. 

She says she plans on implementing those new skills into the work she’s already doing. 

You can find more information on her work and non-profit here.