Jaki Eckles, left, sits with Lydia Wales, trustee of Franklin Union Needham Township, inside the township trustee offices in Franklin. Eckles in the inspiration for the JAKI Program.
In the midst of a mental health crisis, it was only compassion and care of others that saved her life.
Jaki Eckles was reeling from the traumatic aftermath of a sexual assault, wandering the streets of Franklin. When police found her, they contacted the Franklin Union Needham Township offices.
Out of the police officers’ own pockets, they were able to get Eckles into a hotel room, sheltering her while township officials worked to connect her to mental health resources.
Now, Eckles wants to use her experience to assist others facing homelessness. She has worked with the FUN Township office to create the Joint Action Kare Initiative, or the JAKI program.
“I never thought I’d be so low as I was when Lydia found me. To have a charity named after me, at first, it was a little bit humiliating. I wanted to start a charity, and here I am, the charity case,” she said. “But to see it help other people, wow. Our suffering does bear fruits in this life.”
The program helps the Franklin and Bargersville police department provide immediate shelter assistance for people who are identified after township offices are closed.
Through the effort, police officers and township officials work together on the pressing needs of individuals who otherwise have nowhere else to go, said Lydia Wales, FUN Township trustee.
In Indiana, a major role of township trustee offices is to provide assistance to qualified individuals living in the township who might be homeless or in peril of losing their housing. But the offices have to complete proper paperwork and conduct meetings with the individuals, which can only happen during office hours, Wales said.
But emergency housing crises often happen outside of those hours.
That is the situation Eckles found herself in. After she was sexually assaulted, she began severely abusing alcohol, eventually suffering a mental breakdown. She was walking through Franklin, suffering delusions, until she was approached by Franklin police officers.
Franklin Police Chief Kirby Cochran contacted Wales, with the hope of getting Eckles into transitional housing operated by the township office. They were able to get her shelter, but Eckles continued to sneak away.
“The next three days I spent searching for Jaki, because we couldn’t find her. She was wandering the streets. Any time anyone called me, we contacted dispatch to go find her,” Wales said.
Looking back, Eckles is thankful for the people who continued to watch out for her throughout her mental crisis.
“It was the grace of God. I was thrown out onto the street, but I never once spent one night alone on the street. When I did wander off, people would come look for me,” she said. “I had no one, and was a stranger to people in the town. Yet, Lydia and the police rallied around to make sure I was safe.”
Over the next few days, Wales and Franklin police continued to work to help Eckles, eventually getting her into mental health treatment. During one of those encounters, Wales was talking with one of the officers, and asked what happens during these times when police encounter individuals in crisis outside of township office hours.
“They said, usually we’ll pull money out of our pocket and put someone in a hotel, or use our own money to help them in another way,” Wales said. “That wasn’t right. They serve and protect, so we had to fill that need.”
With Eckles as an inspiration, the township office created the JAKI program. The program is funded entirely through donations, and allows officers access to increased assistance for people in need. For example, if they encounter a homeless individual on a cold night, they can reach the township office 24 hours a day, and the township can provide immediate financial assistance for a hotel stay.
Another example would be in the case of a domestic dispute requiring the separation of the two parties involved and one person needs to stay elsewhere, Wales said.
Since the JAKI program was founded, organizers have reached out to businesses, churches and organizations in the area for donations to fund it. Grants have also helped support it.
“So far, we’ve always been able to help someone with that program. We’ve never not had funds available,” Wales said.
Still, this year, they wanted to expand their fundraising efforts. To raise money for the JAKI program, Eckles is taking part in this year’s Dancing with the Johnson County Stars. The annual fundraiser plays off the popularity of the hit television show, “Dancing with the Stars.”
Through it, small nonprofits can raise money with a major fundraiser, without taking on financial risk. Event sponsors pay all of the costs of the event — printing, venue, dance lessons, etc. The agencies and their dancers do fundraising and keep all of the monies they raise.
For Eckles, the experience has been fun, but with the added pressure of working for a cause she really believes in.
“It’s been super exciting, and super nerve-wracking. At least once I day, I just tell myself, ‘I just want to do a good job, I just want to do a good job,’” she said. “This program is really important. I can’t think of a better, more transparent charity that is funding the community directly.
“It’s just so exciting to go from being completely homeless, helpless and sick to representing the community in a charity dance.”
A car show is also planned to support the JAKI program on June 24 at Victory Christian Church.
IF YOU GO
The JAKI Car Show
What: A judged car show supporting the JAKI program, a partnership between the Franklin Union Needham Township trustee’s office, and Franklin and Bargersville police to provide emergency assistance to individuals encountered by the police.
When: June 24; registration 9 a.m.-noon, awards around 2 p.m.
Where: Victory Christian Church, 1720 N. Graham Road, Franklin
Awards will be given for top 50, including best of show. Dash plaques given for the first 100 vehicles. The event will also feature food trucks. All proceeds go to the JAKI program.
For more information, or to donate to the JAKI program, call 317-736-7511.
