INDIANAPOLIS (October 15, 2019) – Prosperity Indiana is pleased to announce two awards totaling $50,000 from The Indianapolis Foundation to support the Opportunity Starts at Home (OSAH) Indiana Campaign. A $15,000 grant was awarded by The Indianapolis Foundation, a Central Indiana Community Foundation affiliate. Another $35,000 grant is being supported through the Family Stabilization Investment Plan of The Indianapolis Foundation.
In advance of these awards, the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) announced in July 2019 its endorsement of Prosperity Indiana as its official OSAH state campaign for Indiana. Through the OSAH – Indiana Campaign, Prosperity Indiana will seek to engage and unite non-housing groups alongside the housing sector to highlight the importance of adequate, affordable housing in strong neighborhoods, with a focus on expanding investment in and access to affordable housing, and spark systems change in furtherance of equitable affordable housing. The campaign will initially focus on civil rights, economic mobility and health, which are part of the NLIHC’s OSAH recognized sectors.
The goal of the Indiana OSAH campaign is to achieve increases in affordable housing through existing and new housing infrastructure; direct support to organizations supporting those who are unstably housed or experiencing homelessness; and voucher supports that fund deeply targeted housing assistance for extremely low-income (ELI) households. This includes vulnerable populations, such as youth, seniors and those with disabilities. The coalition will also seek to implement policy change to reduce federal and state barriers to housing stability.
“We are thrilled about our new role as the Indiana coalition lead for the national Opportunity Starts at Home campaign,” said Jessica Love, Executive Director of Prosperity Indiana. “With CICF’s generous support, we’ll be launching this initiative to pull together multi-sector partners to move the needle on the availability of decent, affordable housing for the state. We can accomplish this by securing the additional resources needed to see real impact in interconnected health, education, economic mobility, racial equity and housing outcomes.”
Since its founding in 1986, Prosperity Indiana has used its broad membership base to help Hoosiers meet their basic needs, preserve and expand affordable housing, and connect individuals and families to education, employment, and economic opportunity. The organization has become the premier convener and advocacy voice in Indiana’s community development landscape and has established its presence as an authority on housing and community development policy.
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About Prosperity Indiana
The Indiana Association for Community Economic Development d/b/a Prosperity Indiana builds a better future for our communities by providing advocacy, leveraging resources, and engaging an empowered network of members to create inclusive opportunities that build assets and improve lives. Since its founding in 1986, Prosperity Indiana has grown to nearly 200 members from the public, private, and nonprofit sectors.
About the Central Indiana Community Foundation
Central Indiana Community Foundation (CICF) is a catalyst for progress, and a supporter of visionary ideas with the power to improve our community and the lives of its residents. CICF was established in 1997 as a partnership between The Indianapolis Foundation, serving Marion County since 1916, and Hamilton County Community Foundation, serving Hamilton County since 1991.
About the National Low Income Housing Coalition
Founded in 1974, National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) educates, organizes and advocates to ensure decent, affordable housing for everyone. NLIHC’s goals are to preserve existing federally assisted homes and housing resources, expand the supply of low income housing, and establish housing stability as the primary purpose of federal low income housing policy.
