A new tool from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation lets you search for your life expectancy – by ZIP code.

Improving health and longevity in communities starts with ensuring access to healthy food, good schools, quality housing, and jobs that provide the necessary resources to care for ourselves and our families. These are the things that prevent us from getting sick in the first place. However, these conditions are hardly consistent across states, cities, or even from block to block. This new data from the National Center for Health Statistics reveals differences in life expectancy down to the census tract level, showing U.S. counties can vary in life expectancy by as much as twenty years. There is a fourteen-year variance across central Indiana counties alone. More and more, the community development and public health fields are working together to understand just how great an impact the place we live can have on our health.

In Indianapolis, Eli Lilly and Company has launched a community-based pilot program in partnership with the Indiana University Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health, Eskenazi Health, LISC Indianapolis, and the Marion County Public Health Department to help address the high incidence of diabetes in three local neighborhoods: the Northeast Neighborhoods, Northwest Neighborhood, and Near Westside Neighborhood. These communities were selected based on their high prevalence of diabetes (approximately 10,000 people across the three neighborhoods), socio-economic factors, and highly engaged community members and organizations. The pilot will deploy newly hired community health care workers to help identify people with diabetes and connect them with quality care. Community members will also be involved, helping to identify and propose solutions for cultural, social, environmental, economic, and policy barriers that increase the risk for diabetes, such as the lack of healthy food options and public spaces for exercise.

These cross-sector, community-focused partnerships for health are becoming more commonplace in the community development field as we continue to learn about the relationship between health and where you live. Check out the resources below to learn more on this topic.

Read about another partnership between community development and health systems

National example of programming aimed at improving health by aligning housing and health systems

Access resources from the 2018 Prosperity Indiana Summit: Intersection between Community Health and Community Development

Check out this map showing the change in U.S. life expectancies by county over time

View a variety of health data sources

A summit focused on development in the westside of Indianapolis will be held Tuesday, October 23, 2018.

With the latest Infosys announcement to build a technology hub at the former Indianapolis International Airport terminal site, development on the west side of Indianapolis will likely increase as Infosys brings on 3,000 new jobs – 1,000 more than previously announced. Such announcements like this present opportunities for communities to begin to strategically think about future development.

The full-day session will feature key players who can help you grow and invest in Hendricks County and the westside of Indianapolis at an opportune time. Topics include: industrial development, retail and hospitality development, office development, housing development and opportunity zones. Infosys will also give the keynote speech, which is their first official public appearance since the announcement of the brand new technology hub.

Confirmed Speakers:

Drew Klacik, Senior Policy Analyst, IU Public Policy Institute

Grant Goldman, SVP of Development & Construction, Ambrose Property Group

Mark Susemichael, VP of Development, Browning Investments

David Holt, SVP of Development and Community Affairs, Holladay Properties

John Cumming, SVP of Development, Strategic Capital Partners

Jeff Pipkin, Executive Director, Hendricks County Economic Development Partnership

Mike Jones, President and CEO, Lauth Group

Will Zink, SVP of Construction and Development, SCP

Rick Cardwell, Head of Innovation and Delivery, Infosys

Jacqueline Haynes, Senior Manager, Midland Atlantic Properties

Steve Lains, CEO, Builders Association of Greater Indianapolis

John Lassaux, Development Manager, Scannell Properties

Shelby Bowen, President, Rebar Development

Greg Majewski, Business Development Specialist, Keller Development

Courtney Zaugg, Director of Economic Development, Veridus Group

Elain Bedel, President, Indiana Economic Development Corporation

Anthony Bridgeman, VP Community Development Banking, PNC

Mark Fisher, Chief Policy Officer, Indy Chamber

Schedule · Tuesday, October 23, 2018

8:00 AM - 9:00 AM

Registration, Networking, Light Breakfast

9:00 AM - 9:10 AM

Welcome

9:10 AM - 9:15 AM

Summit Introduction

9:15 AM - 9:55 AM

Hendricks County in the New Economy

9:55 AM - 10:45 AM

Industrial Development Trends and Opportunities

10:45 AM - 10:55 AM

Community Profile

10:55 AM - 11:05 AM

Break

11:05 AM - 11:45 AM

Office Development Trends and Opportunities

11:45 AM - 11:55 AM

Community Profile

11:55 AM - 1:25 PM

Lunch, Infosys as Keynote Speaker

1:25 PM - 2:25 PM

Hospitality/Retail Development Trends and Opportunities

2:25 PM - 2:35 PM

Community Profile

2:35 PM - 2:45 PM

Break

2:45 PM - 3:25 PM

Housing Development Trends and Opportunities

3:25 PM - 3:35 PM

Community Profile

3:35 PM - 4:15 PM

Opportunity Zones and Inclusivity

4:15 PM - 4:20 PM

Summit Wrap Up

4:20 PM - 6:00 PM

Networking/Drinks

Event will be held 8:30 AM to 6:00 PM at Embassy Suites Plainfield Conference Center, 6089 Clarks Creek Road, Plainfield, IN 46168.

Westside Community Development Corporation in Indianapolis will host its annual meeting and introduce its new executive director next month. 

WCDC’s 2018 Annual Meeting Event will be held on November 15, 2018 from 4-7 pm at the Biltwell Event Center located at 950 S. White River Parkway W. Drive, Indianapolis, IN 46221.

The new Executive Director Mr. Robert Hawthorne will share next steps for Westside Community Development Corporation.

The 34th Indiana Public Health Celebration & Hulman Awards will be held October 25, 2018 and include an evening reception and dinner. 

The guest speaker will be Pam Aaltonen, PhD, RN, President Elect, APHA.

Awards program includes Dr. Helen L Scheibner Life Science & Public Health Scholarship, Stephen Jay Awards for Leadership in Public Health, and Hulman Health Achievement Awards.

Special Guest: Dr. Daniel Rusyniak is the Chief Medical Officer for the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration

Individual Ticket Price: $65

Student Ticket price: $35

The 2019 Prosperity Indiana Summit will explore diverse strategies to build individual, organizational and community wealth. Our goal is to highlight diversity and innovations in the field and build capacity to do more of the same. 

Please see the following to submit a session for consideration: 2019 Prosperity Indiana Summit: Call for Session Proposals.

This fall, during the NLC City Summit in Los Angeles, Gary Mayor and Aim 2nd Vice President Karen Freeman-Wilson is slated to become the next president of NLC. I can’t begin to tell you how excited I am for Karen to step into this role - representing America’s cities, towns and villages at the highest level! The Aim Board of Directors, and Karen’s fellow Aim Officers, have expressed their excitement and support for Karen during her rise among NLC’s excellent crop of local leaders.

As is customary during the City Summit, the state league of the incoming NLC president hosts an all-conference gathering the evening prior to taking office. This after-hours event is more than just a time to let your hair down. It is a time for attendees to celebrate as colleagues and as friends, and to continue networking with one another as they share valuable insights and make the most of the short time together.

Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Lesley Mosier at lmosier@aimindiana.org.

Sincerely,

Matt Greller

CEO

Accelerate Indiana Municipalities

If you live in a mobile home in Indiana – either as an owner or a renter – you could lose your home if the property taxes are behind.

Personal property taxes must be paid on mobile homes yearly. If you owe as little as $25, your mobile home is at risk of being sold at auction. Demand for payment and notice of sale should be mailed to each taxpayer, but if the title to the mobile home is not in your name, if you don’t have a recorded contract that you are buying it, or if the county does not have your address, you may not get notice.

The first sale in the state will happen later this month in Lawrence County. As of August 1, there were still 168 mobile home owners in the county behind on taxes, down from 700 in January.

Prosperity Indiana member Indiana Legal Services, Inc. (ILS) has created a brochure to help those living in mobile homes to know their rights and explain how to avoid sale.

Access it here.

After a 12-year appeal process, the Indiana Board of Tax Review (IBTR) ruled in favor of the nonprofit Housing Partnerships, Inc. (HPI), determining the organization’s ownership of scattered-site housing does qualify for property tax exemption. The county assessor’s office decided to repeal the decision, potentially forcing HPI to sell 11 affordable homes to pay off debt taken out to pay the taxes. Read more about the appeal in this article from The Republic and see Thrive Alliance’s response in their press release.

Prosperity Indiana’s Executive Director, Jessica Love, responded to the decision in this letter, pointing out the assessor’s faulty logic that low-cost private landlords will be impaired by the exemptions, citing the Out of Reach data which shows that a minimum wage worker in Indiana must work 86 hours per week to afford a two-bedroom apartment at fair market rate.

“Prosperity Indiana hopes the IBTR’s decision in HPI’s case will stand and serve as a powerful precedent,” Love said. “We urge the incoming assessor to look at the whole equation when weighing how to proceed, so HPI can continue serving the community’s unmet needs.”

ALICE is an acronym for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. These households have incomes above the Federal Poverty Level but struggle to afford basic household necessities. In the words of Indiana United Ways Board Chair, Ron Turpin, “ALICE gets up each day to go to work, but still faces financial barriers – working jobs that offer no healthcare, vacation, or paid sick leave. These workers hold jobs that are critical to the success and vitality of our communities, yet they often struggle to afford food, rent, child care, and transportation, and have little left over for saving and investing.”

The 2018 ALICE report updates the cost of basic needs in the Household Survival Budget for each county in Indiana and the number of households earning below the amount needed to afford that budget (the ALICE Threshold) for the period of 2010 to 2016. It also highlights emerging trends that will affect ALICE families in the future.

Highlights from the report include:

• In 2016, 39 percent of Indiana households live below the ALICE Threshold, meaning they could not afford basic needs such as housing, child care, food, transportation, health care, and technology. This is an increase of 10 percent from 2010.
  
• The cost of basic household expenses in Indiana increased steadily to $52,836 for a family of four (two adults with one infant and one preschooler) and $19,620 for a single adult — significantly higher than the FPL of $24,300 for a family of four and $11,880 for a single adult. The cost of the family budget increased by 23 percent from 2010 to 2016.
  
• Low-wage jobs continued to dominate the landscape in Indiana, with 65 percent of all jobs paying less than $20 per hour. Although unemployment rates fell during this period, wages remained low for many occupations. With more contract work and on-demand jobs, job instability also increased, making it difficult for ALICE workers to meet regular monthly expenses or to save.
  

Emerging trends include:

• The Changing American Household — Shifting demographics, including the rise of the millennials, the aging of the baby boomers, and domestic and foreign migration patterns, are having an impact on who is living together in households and where and how people work. These changes, in turn, influence the demand for goods and services, ranging from the location of housing to the provision of caregiving.
  
• Market Instability — Within a global economy, economic disruptions, natural disasters, and technological advances in other parts of the world trigger rapid change across U.S. industries and cause shifts in supply and demand. This will increasingly destabilize employment opportunities for ALICE workers.
  
• Growing Health Inequality — With technological advances in health care outpacing the ability of many households to afford them, there will be increasing disparities in health according to income. The societal costs of having large numbers of U.S. residents in poor health will also grow.
  

Click here to download the full report.

Community Loan Centers (CLC) exist to provide an alternative, fairly-priced loan program to low-income families. On Wednesday, August 29, the Indiana Assets & Opportunity Network hosted a free webinar featuring special guest Matt Hull, executive director of the Texas Association of Community Development Corporations, examining how CLCs are helping families in 16 markets across seven states. Topics covered include:

• What is payday lending and why are alternatives needed?
• What is a Community Loan Center and how does it operate?
• How can you bring a Community Loan Center to your community?

CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE WEBINAR.

To learn more about becoming a CLC partner or how you can be informed of upcoming Network webinars and events, contact Logan Charlesworth, Network Manager.