INDIANAPOLIS, IN – Candidates for Indiana Governor, U.S. Senate, and U.S. House of Representatives have detailed their plans to address Indiana’s most challenging housing and economic opportunity issues in their answers to Prosperity Indiana’s 2024 Housing and Economic Opportunity Election Questionnaire.

Prosperity Indiana, the only statewide network for Indiana’s community economic development organizations, released the questionnaire as part of the association’s ‘Our Homes, Our Votes Indiana 2024’ nonpartisan voter education and candidate engagement campaign. The content of the questionnaire was adapted from the national Our Homes, Our Votes campaign's candidate engagement resources, in consultation with the Prosperity Indiana Policy Committee and the steering committees of the Hoosier Housing Needs Coalition and the Indiana Assets & Opportunity Network. All candidates for Indiana Governor, U.S. Senator and U.S. House seats were contacted and invited to provide their answers to questions addressing issues of housing stability and affordability, pathways to achieving and sustaining homeownership, and equitable economic opportunity policies. At least two candidates for each level of office (Governor, Senator, and U.S. House) provided answers, including responses from four of Indiana’s nine Congressional districts. Responses reflect answers from Republican, Democratic, Libertarian, and independent candidates. All candidates’ responses are presented below in full.

In addition to the questionnaire responses below, the Republican, Democratic, and Libertarian candidates for Indiana Governor responded to questions about housing affordability and homeownership inspired by ‘Housing Hoosiers’, the policy brief written by Prosperity Indiana for the Indiana University Public Policy Institute’s 2024 Gubernatorial Candidates Forum series.

Indiana Governor 

Mike Braun – see responses 

Jennifer G. McCormick – see responses 

Donald Rainwater – did not respond 

Christopher Ryan Stried – see responses 

 

U.S. Senate

Antonio Xavier Alvarez – did not respond 

Jim Banks – did not respond 

Phillip D. Beachy (Phil) – did not respond 

Andrew Horning – see responses

Valerie McCray – see responses 

 

U.S. House of Representatives 

District 1 

Dakotah Miskus – did not respond 

Frank J. Mrvan – did not respond 

Randy Niemeyer – did not respond 

 

District 2 

Lori A. Camp – see responses

William E. Henry – did not respond 

Michael John Hubbard – did not respond 

Rudy Yakym – did not respond 

 

District 3 

Kiley M. Adolph – did not respond 

Jared Lancaster – did not respond 

Marlin A. Stutzman – did not respond

 

District 4 

Jim Baird – did not respond 

Ashley Groff – did not respond 

Derrick Holder – did not respond 

 

District 5 

Deborah A Pickett – did not respond 

Lauri Shillings – did not respond 

Robby Slaughter – see responses 

Victoria Spartz – did not respond 

 

District 6 

James Michael Sceniak – did not respond 

Jefferson Shreve – did not respond 

Cynthia (Cinde) Wirth – did not respond 

 

District 7 

André Carson – did not respond 

Rusty Johnson – see responses 

John P. Schmitz – did not respond 

 

District 8 

K. Richard Fitzlaff – did not respond 

Erik Hurt – did not respond 

Mark Messmer – did not respond 

 

District 9  

Russell (Russ) Brooksbank – did not respond 

Erin Houchin – did not respond 

Timothy (Tim) Peck – did not respond 

###

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’s network has grown to nearly 200 organizations, representing thousands of practitioners statewide from the public, private, and nonprofit sectors.

Prosperity Indiana Informing Indiana Governor’s Race on Housing, Property Tax Issues INDIANAPOLIS, IN – As part of its ongoing Our Homes, Our Votes initiative, Prosperity Indiana and partners have contributed to voter education and candidate engagement in the race for Indiana Governor. This includes a PI-authored report on ‘Housing Hoosiers’ for the Indiana University Public Policy Institute’s Gubernatorial Candidates Forum, and a ‘Hoosier Property Taxes 101’ event co-hosted with the Indiana Fiscal Policy Institute that included analysis from state and national experts on the candidates’ property tax Ireform proposals.

Image: Indiana University Public Policy Institute

From the Indiana University Public Policy Institute’s news release: “[The report ‘Housing Hoosiers’] authored by Prosperity Indiana, explores housing in Indiana and provides policy recommendations for improving housing security by addressing housing availability, state housing laws, housing instability, and homelessness.  Indiana has a deficit of nearly 140,000 affordable and available rental homes. There are 34 units available for every 100 of the lowest-income households—the second-lowest rate in the Midwest.  More than 90% of Hoosier households with yearly incomes of more than $150,000 are homeowners, while less than 40% of Hoosier households earning less than $20,000 annually own their homes.  Hoosiers working full time would need to earn, on average, $22.07/hour to afford a modest two-bedroom apartment, up $3.07 from 2023. But, in Indiana, the average renter makes only $17.92/hour, which increased just six cents from 2023.”  The report is part of PPI’s Decision 2024: Your Voices, Your Future project, and helped inform their Indiana Gubernatorial Candidates Forum meant to help voters learn where each candidate stands on our most important issues without distractions that come with debates.    Hear the candidates for Governor answer questions inspired by PI’s report, including on issues of affordable renting and homeownership. Watch the full Forum here and see coverage of candidates’ housing answers from Indiana Public Media.

Image: Indiana Fiscal Policy Institute

In addition, PI co-hosted the event Hoosier Property Taxes 101 - A Historical Perspective and Conversation About Where We Go From Here with the Indiana Fiscal Policy Institute and hosted by the Indiana Farm Bureau. Legislators, advocates, and community members in attendance learned how Indiana's tax policy compares to other states and how proposed property tax reform policies will impact Hoosier taxpayers and local government services in the future. Panel experts from Purdue University, the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, and the Indiana Association of REALTORS discussed original research and provided their analysis on the property tax proposals of the candidates for Indiana Governor.  Find the discussion slides, reports, and other event resources on IFPI’s publications page, and see coverage from the event from the Indiana Capital Chronicle and Indiana Public Broadcasting News.

INDIANAPOLIS, IN – To help members and partners elevate issues of housing and economic opportunity in the 2024 election, Prosperity Indiana has released a set of new voter education and candidate engagement tools. These tools include new data on Indiana’s housing affordability crisis made available for the first time at the state House and Senate district level. These resources are part of Prosperity Indiana’s partnership with the National Low Income Housing Coalition’s Our Homes, Our Votes 2024 campaign. 

Our Homes, Our Votes is a nonpartisan campaign to register, educate, and mobilize low-income renters and affordable housing advocates to vote. Renters, especially low-income renters, are underrepresented among voters. To build the political will for housing solutions, it is critical that organizations that work directly with low-income renters--including nonprofits, housing providers, and tenant associations--mobilize renters and other low-income people to vote. Prosperity Indiana is Indiana’s Our Homes, Our Votes affiliate organization. 

The Our Homes, Our Votes resources below are meant to aid Indiana’s community economic development organizations, coalition partners, and other community members in voter registration, education, and candidate engagement. A pair of webinars and related slides from September 2024 provide an overview of the resources available. In addition, Prosperity Indiana has sent a questionnaire on housing and economic opportunity issues to all candidates for office running for Indiana Governor and U.S. House and Senate seats, and will publish the results at ProsperityIndiana.org in mid-October. 

Webinars 

Nonpartisan Voter Registration: A How-To for IN Nonprofits Slide decks: League of Women Voters, Prosperity Indiana 

Nonpartisan Candidate Engagement: A How-To for IN Nonprofits Slide deck: National Low Income Housing Coalition and Prosperity Indiana 

Data Resources 

NEW The Gap-Indiana 2024 State Legislative District Maps 

The Gap-Indiana 2024 state report 

Indiana Congressional District Housing Profiles 

Out of Reach-Indiana 2024 

Who Pays?-Indiana 2024 

Tools & Materials 

Prosperity Indiana Our Homes, Our Votes Candidate Questionnaire 

Our Homes, Our Votes national campaign resources 

Federal Voter Registration Form: English, Haitian Creole, Spanish 

2024 Election Calendar Brochure 

2024 Election Checklist 

2024 Election Info Brochure 

Craft Your Message Worksheet 

### 

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’s network has grown to nearly 200 organizations, representing thousands of practitioners statewide from the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. 

Prosperity Indiana and the Hoosier Housing Needs Coalition are excited to announce the launch of a brand new resource in our ongoing efforts to address homelessness in Indiana. Policy Manager Hale Crumley has developed a comprehensive toolkit aimed at equipping advocates and partners with the necessary tools and knowledge to tackle an emerging and pressing issue: policies that make it even harder to be homeless than it already is.

At the heart of this toolkit is a training series that focuses on the housing first approach—a proven solution to homelessness—and the challenges it faces, including those posed by out-of-state organizations like the Cicero Institute. Originally conducted live, these training sessions are now accessible on YouTube, offering a flexible learning option to complement the toolkit. We've also created an abbreviated version of the toolkit to serve as an informational packet you can give directly to legislators when advocating.

Prosperity Indiana’s goal with this initiative is to empower Hoosier advocates to engage constructively with state and local policymakers on these topics. By arming ourselves with a deep understanding of the proven housing first approach, we aim to steer clear of policies that criminalize homelessness and instead foster environments that prioritize supportive and sustainable solutions.

To access this resource and join us in advocating for change, view the toolkit here. Together, we can make a difference in ending homelessness and building a more inclusive Indiana.

View the Toolkit here.

INDIANAPOLIS, IN – In a disappointing ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court today ruled that arresting or fining homeless individuals for sleeping outside when they have nowhere else to go does not violate the Constitution. This ruling sets a dangerous precedent for the thousands of Hoosiers experiencing homelessness in our state and for all the families who are just one missed paycheck away from homelessness. 

“CHIP is deeply saddened and angered by the Supreme Court ruling that it is ok to arrest or fine people experiencing homelessness for sleeping outside when there is no alternative,” said Dr. Chelsea Haring-Cozzi, the Executive Director of CHIP, the Coalition for Homelessness Intervention & Prevention, and a Prosperity Indiana member. “This sets a dangerous precedent and will only worsen homelessness in cities across the country. Homelessness is not a criminal issue and should not be addressed as such. We call on our local and state officials to focus on housing solutions and to not be swayed by this ruling. We must do the smart and right thing here in Indiana for our most vulnerable Hoosiers,” said Haring-Cozzi. 

This decision makes it easier to jail or fine homeless people for sleeping outside, which will exacerbate homelessness. Communities must now work even harder to focus on housing and other proven solutions to homelessness, despite the ruling. It is critical to understand that punitive measures like jails and fines only worsen the situation. 

“The increase of Hoosiers experiencing homelessness is directly correlated with the rising cost to afford rent, which takes $22.07 per hour in 2024, up $3 in just the past year. At the same time, the supply of affordable and available rental housing has declined in Indiana to only 34 affordable and available units for every 100 extremely low income households, the second lowest rate in the Midwest,” said Andrew Bradley, Senior Director of Policy and Strategy at Prosperity Indiana. 

“In light of the Supreme Courts’s decision in Johnson v. Grants Pass, it’s clear that Indiana’s state and local policymakers must not respond to the increase in housing cost and the decrease in supply by punishing and criminalizing vulnerable Hoosiers experiencing homelessness. Instead, Indiana’s elected officials must work together to increase the supply of safe, affordable housing, preserve the housing stock we already have, and invest in local practitioners of the proven Housing First model to permanently reduce homelessness,” said Bradley.

Despite this setback, Prosperity Indiana and its members remain committed to supporting all Hoosiers amidst our worsening housing crisis. 

###

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’s network has grown to nearly 200 organizations, representing thousands of practitioners statewide from the public, private, and nonprofit sectors.

INDIANAPOLIS, IN – To afford a modest, two-bedroom apartment at fair market rent in Indiana, full-time Hoosier workers need to earn $22.07 per hour. This is Indiana’s “2024 Housing Wage” according to Out of Reach, a report published jointly today by the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) and Prosperity Indiana.

Released annually, Out of Reach illuminates the gulf between wages and what people need to earn to afford their rent. The report reveals that affordable rental homes are out of reach for millions of low-wage workers and other families. The report’s “Housing Wage” is an estimate of the hourly wage full-time workers must earn to afford a rental home at fair market rent without spending more than 30% of their incomes. According to this year’s report, the national 2024 Housing Wage is $32.11 per hour for a modest two-bedroom rental home and $26.74 for a modest one-bedroom rental home. “The new Out of Reach 2024 report finds that Indiana’s 2024 Housing Wage of $22.07 needed to afford a two-bedroom rental unit is an increase of $3.07 per hour above the 2023 Housing Wage. However, the average Hoosier renter’s wage of $17.92 per hour in 2024 increased by only $0.06 over the past year,” said Aspen Clemons, Executive Director at Prosperity Indiana. “To address Indiana’s growing housing affordability crisis, state and local policymakers must bridge the growing gap between rents and incomes by using all available policy tools,” said Clemons. “For the first time in recent history, less than a third of Indiana’s Top 20 largest occupations pay wages sufficient to meet the state’s Housing Wage,” said Andrew Bradley, Senior Director of Policy and Strategy at Prosperity Indiana. “Only a quarter of Hoosiers working in the state’s most popular occupations earn enough on average to afford rent. This is not helping Hoosiers get ahead. With the cost of housing increasingly out of reach for Indiana families, we need coordinated efforts by our federal, state, and local policymakers to raise wages and increase the supply of safe, stable, and affordable housing for all Hoosiers,” said Bradley. While the Housing Wage needed to afford a two-bedroom unit rose by 16% from 2023 to 2024, Indiana’s average renter wage increased by only $0.07 or 0.3% during the same period. The two-bedroom Housing Wage is higher than the average renter wage in 88 of Indiana’s 92 counties, 25 of 26 metro areas, and in the state’s combined nonmetro areas. Download the Out of Reach-Indiana state and local data page.

Download Indiana’s Congressional District Housing Profiles.

The Housing Wage in Indiana has worsened, taking Indiana from the 43rd-least affordable state in the nation in 2021 to the 34th- least affordable in 2024. Among Midwest states, Hoosier renter wages remain persistently behind the average of the region. In 2023, the estimated average Hoosier renter wage of $17.92 was $0.78 an hour lower than the $18.70 average renter wage across all 12 Midwest states. The typical Hoosier renter working full time now makes $1,622 less each year than their average Midwest counterpart, or nearly 1.5 times the cost of a month’s rent for a two-bedroom rental at the fair market rent of $1,148.

Out of Reach 2024 also finds that 14 of the Indiana’s 20 most common occupations now pay median wages that are less than what a full-time worker needs to afford a modest two-bedroom rental home at the state’s average fair market rent, up from 10 occupations in 2023. The top occupations paying less than Indiana’s Housing Wage employ 843,720 working Hoosiers (up from 652,210 in 2023), 76% of the total employed in the state’s 20 largest occupations (up from 57% in 2023), and more than a fifth of the state’s total workforce. These poorly paid occupations are frequently held by women, Black and brown Hoosiers, and others making up Indiana’s extremely low-income renter households. For example, the median hourly wage for the vital work performed by home health and personal care aides in Indiana is $14.79 – almost 8 dollars less than the full-time wage of $22.07 needed to afford a two-bedroom rental home at the fair market rent.

Out of Reach 2024 also reveals that Hoosiers working at the minimum wage must work longer hours each week to afford housing than the average U.S. minimum wage worker. When factoring in higher state and county-level minimum wages, the typical minimum-wage worker in the U.S. must work 113 hours per week (2.8 full-time jobs) to afford a two-bedroom rental home at fair market rent, or 95 hours per week (2.4 full-time jobs) to afford a one-bedroom rental home at the fair market rent. By contrast, Indiana sets the state’s minimum wage at the federal floor of $7.25 per hour – a wage that has remained unchanged since 2009 – and preempts local governments from raising wage standards above this floor. Working at the minimum wage of $7.25 in Indiana a wage earner must now work 122 hours per week (3 full-time jobs) to afford a two-bedroom apartment and work 101 hours (2.5 full-time jobs) per week to afford a one-bedroom apartment. This means Hoosiers making minimum wage must work 468 hours more per year than the typical American worker in order to afford housing.

With the cost of rent growing further out of reach for those with the lowest incomes, and absent an adequate housing safety net, it is no surprise that homelessness has been on the rise. Existing research shows a strong connection between housing costs and homelessness in the U.S. The annual Point-In-Time count conducted by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development found that approximately 653,000 people were experiencing homelessness in January 2023 – the highest number that has ever been recorded through the count and a 12% rise over the previous year. In Indiana, the 2023 Point in Time Count conducted by the Indiana Balance of State (BOS) Continuum of Care (CoC), encompassing all counties in Indiana except Marion County, counted 4,398 Hoosiers experiencing homelessness in 3,363 households across all counties except Marion County. In addition, CHIP counted 1,619 individuals experiencing homelessness in their 2023 Indianapolis Point in Time Count. Out of Reach 2024 sheds light on one of the primary causes of increasing homelessness by uncovering the extreme discrepancies between wages and rents. The report points to a number of federal policy prescriptions to address the affordable housing and homelessness crisis, including two authored by Indiana Senator Todd Young. Congress must prioritize long-term housing solutions, such as Housing Choice Vouchers (HCVs), that address the gap between incomes and rents documented in the report. The “Ending Homelessness Act of 2023,” for example, would ensure rental assistance vouchers are universally available to all eligible households in need of assistance. Congress must also invest in solutions to expand and preserve the supply of affordable housing by passing the “Housing Crisis Response Act of 2023” and reduce the power imbalance between landlords and tenants by enacting federal renter protections. Senator Young’s bipartisan “Family Stability and Opportunity Vouchers Act of 2023” would create 250,000 new housing vouchers targeted to low-income families with young children and provide mobility counseling services to help families find housing options in neighborhoods of their choice. And Senator Young’s soon-to-be-reintroduced “Eviction Crisis Act” would build on the success of Indiana’s Emergency Rental Assistance program and establish a permanent national housing stabilization fund for renters facing temporary financial setbacks. Prosperity Indiana has joined 75 organizations in a letter encouraging Senator Young to work with his colleagues on the Senate Banking Committee to advance these bills as part of a bipartisan housing legislation package currently under consideration by the Committee. Prosperity Indiana and the Hoosier Housing Needs Coalition also delivered a letter with the signatures of nearly 500 Indiana organizations and individuals urging Governor Eric Holcomb to create and convene a Commission on Housing Safety, Stability, and Affordability to bring together state agencies, courts, local governments, and other stakeholders to align funding and advance policy solutions. The Indiana General Assembly should also invest in incentives to develop new housing affordable to low-income renters, preserve the state’s existing housing stock, and undo preemption of local governments’ ability to strengthen housing standards and increase fair and affordable housing options. “Housing is a basic human need and should be regarded an unconditional human right,” said NLIHC President and CEO Diane Yentel. “This year’s Out of Reach report shows that despite rising wages, cooling inflation, and low unemployment, low-wage workers and other renters continue to struggle with the high cost of rent. Addressing the challenge requires long-term federal investments in affordable housing. As evidenced during the COVID-19 pandemic, federal policies and resources play a pivotal role in establishing a robust housing safety net, preventing evictions and homelessness, and mitigating housing instability among renters with the lowest incomes. Likewise, federal renter protections are needed to ensure decent, safe, and accessible living conditions for tenants around the country.” For additional information, and to download the report, visit: http://www.nlihc.org/oor  ### 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’s network has grown to nearly 200 organizations, representing thousands of practitioners statewide from the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. About NLIHC The National Low Income Housing Coalition is dedicated to achieving racially and socially equitable public policy that ensures people with the lowest incomes have quality homes that are accessible and affordable in communities of their choice.

INDIANAPOLIS, IN – On June 10, Prosperity Indiana and the Hoosier Housing Needs Coalition delivered a letter signed by nearly 500 Hoosier organizations and individuals urging Governor Eric Holcomb to create and convene a Commission on Housing Safety, Stability, and Affordability to address Indiana’s worsening housing crisis. 

485 unique Indiana organizations and individuals, ranging from housing providers, developers, and investors; to homelessness prevention specialists, community service organizations, and churches and faith-based groups; to ordinary Hoosiers from rural, urban, and suburban communities spanning 41 Indiana counties, joined together to sign the letter urging Governor Holcomb to issue an executive order creating a Commission to act on the state’s shortage of safe, stable, and affordable homes. 

The letter acknowledges key steps taken by the Holcomb Administration, including the creation of the READI program and the state’s first Emergency Rental Assistance program, as having had a positive impact on the state’s housing supply. But the letter notes declining rates of homeownership and worsening rates of affordable and available housing for the most vulnerable Hoosiers as damaging to the state’s public health and economic outcomes. 

The letter cites a “patchwork” of codes for health and safety standards related to rental housing and the failure to adequately enforce these codes as jeopardizing the health and even lives of Hoosiers. For example, in January of 2024, six children died in a deadly fire in a South Bend rental home that was reported to have failed a safety code inspection for dangerous wiring but was nonetheless allowed to be rented again before proper repairs were confirmed to have been made. 

The proposed Commission, whose structure is inspired by the successful Indiana Commission on Improving the Status of Children, would address the state’s unresolved housing issues and promote solutions in several concrete ways: 

• Bring together representatives of state administrative agencies, courts, local governments, and legislators, along with stakeholders and residents who ate tackling the housing health and safety crisis on the ground, so they can work together instead of in silos; 

• Align existing housing resources and initiatives at the state and local levels, potentially saving taxpayers millions of dollars; 

• Clarify the jurisdiction of code enforcement regarding health and safety;  

• Coordinate administrative and court-based rules that can protect Hoosiers and expand the housing supply for communities with the greatest need for healthy housing without the need for legislation; and 

• Provide a united voice to recommend new legislation when necessary. 

The letter to the Governor concludes “We urge you to appoint and convene a Commission on Housing Safety, Stability, and Affordability, which will serve as a legacy of your administration’s efforts to elevate the public health, safety, and economic well-being of Hoosiers, their communities, and Indiana.”

###

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’s network has grown to nearly 200 organizations, representing thousands of practitioners statewide from the public, private, and nonprofit sectors.

About the Hoosier Housing Needs Coalition

Hoosier Housing Needs Coalition (HHNC) was formed by members of Indiana’s housing security advocacy community in April 2020 to support advocacy and education related to housing and homelessness prevention. HHNC convenes partners from across Indiana to advocate for immediate, medium- and long-term housing stability policy solutions and conduct education and research to achieve federal, state, and local policies.

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - Today, the Supreme Court in a 7 to 2 decision declared that the funding method used to fund the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is indeed constitutional. This decision means that the CFPB can continue its work in protecting and supporting consumer rights.

The Supreme Court has upheld the constitutionality of funding of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau through the Federal Reserve, allowing a vital agency to continue its work in holding Wall Street and predatory lenders accountable to consumers, and promoting economic and racial justice. The lawsuit was originally filed by the Community Financial Services Association, a lobby group for payday lenders, after the CFPB restricted their capacity to continue withdrawing funds from consumers after two failed attempts.

“The continuation of the CFPB is crucial to consumer protections nationwide, making today’s ruling a victory that we at the Institute celebrate. The CFPB does vital work in supporting Hoosiers of all economic status to ensure that they are treated fairly. Recent CFPB regulations targeting credit card late fees and overdraft fees are particularly important for low-income Hoosiers, for whom such charges are a financial drain,” said Zia Saylor, Research Associate at the Indiana Community Action Poverty Institute, Co-Chair of Hoosiers for Responsible Lending.

Handling an average of 3,000 consumer cases per day in addition to larger bank enforcement and research output, the CFPB has returned over $17.5 billion since inception to the pockets of Americans who have been exploited within the financial market. This ruling, allowing the continuation of its operation, will only increase the financial benefit to Hoosiers and Americans nationwide. For example, the CFPB recently awarded and distributed $45,832,242 in damages to 18,871 consumers in Indiana that were harmed by predatory organizations LendUp Loans LLC and Think Finance.

Hoosiers for Responsible Lending (HRL) was created by a network of policy advocates working to empower communities regarding responsible lending and informed borrowing, and they celebrate the Supreme Court’s ruling that will allow the CFPB to continue its great work supporting and protecting Hoosiers. “Today’s U.S. Supreme Court decision is critical to ensuring that the CFPB remains able to protect and support Indiana’s most vulnerable consumers. Prosperity Indiana applauds this decision and the work of the CFPB to keep Hoosier communities and local economies thriving” states Aspen Clemons, Executive Director of Prosperity Indiana, Co-Chair of Hoosiers for Responsible Lending.

HRL has a Steering Committee of diverse organizations that work to create a fair, transparent credit marketplace that benefits consumers, lenders, and the Hoosier economy. HRL Steering Committee members also act as thought leaders to the 2,000+ members of this statewide coalition. Some additional comments on the Supreme Court ruling from these Steering Committee members are included below.

"This is a relief and great news for consumers and advocates across the nation!" - Mark Russell, Director of Advocacy with the Indianapolis Urban League (Indianapolis, Indiana)

“Predatory lending affects lower-income people disproportionately and it’s definitely a target for us to try to stop. We appreciate the CFPB’s valuable partnership in that and are glad to hear that Hoosiers won’t lose their protection because of a misguided lawsuit.” - Steve Hoffman, President and CEO of Brightpoint (Fort Wayne, Indiana)

“This is very good news for the people that we work with every day. The CFPB helps ensure that all consumers have access to fair and equitable lending. We’re so glad this is now behind them, and they can continue their work.” - Marie Morse, Executive Director of HomesteadCS (Lafayette, Indiana)

###

About Hoosiers for Responsible Lending

Hoosiers for Responsible Lending was created by a network of advocates working to empower Hoosiers who have been affected by any form of predatory lending. HRL raises awareness of predatory practices across Indiana in order to hold lenders accountable and create attainable pathways to wealth building for all Hoosiers. The coalition includes veterans organizations, faith communities, consumer groups, and social service providers who recognize both the benefits of equitable, responsible lending and the damages of predatory lending. Hoosiers for Responsible Lending is Co-Chaired by Prosperity Indiana and the Indiana Community Action Poverty Institute.

A shorter-than-usual 2024 session of the Indiana General Assembly yielded too little progress to grade the legislature a success in delivering for the community economic development sector and the most vulnerable Hoosiers they serve. However, clues from this session will help Prosperity Indiana members and partners prepare for what legislative leaders are already calling a “monumental” budget session in 2025. 

As the year began, Prosperity Indiana wrote: “Even during a 'short session' when the Indiana General Assembly typically doesn't consider legislation that would affect the state budget, lawmakers have chances in 2024 to improve long-term housing stability and attainability and consumer protections that are critical to Hoosiers' well-being and economic opportunities”. But despite a member-driven policy agenda that translated into bipartisan priority legislation carefully selected to be able to pass during a shortened non-budget session, the General Assembly did not choose to focus on these tangible solutions to strengthen Indiana’s communities and improve Hoosiers’ lives.  

Here are several notable legislative outcomes from across Prosperity Indiana’s key issues of affordable housing, community development resources, and asset-building and consumer protections, and what they mean for the future. 

Affordable Housing: Despite legislation with a Republican lead author who had solicited input from housing advocates, industry representatives, and community stakeholders, and despite a broad set of bipartisan coauthors, for the third year in a row critical tenant protection legislation failed to gain a full committee hearing in the Indiana General Assembly. SB 277, with author Sen. Greg Walker (R-Columbus) and co-author Sen. Fady Qaddoura (D-Indianapolis) would have remedied the fact that Indiana is one of only six states without effective public and private enforcement of housing health and safety standards.  

The legislature’s failure to act to address the root causes of a state housing crisis that has now put Indiana near the bottom of the Midwest in rates of affordable and available housing and severe housing cost burden, and worse than the national average. This lack of progress has resulted in severe health damage and danger for thousands of Hoosier families, tragically including for six children who died in a South Bend fire after their house was reportedly allowed to be re-rented after failing electrical inspection. In light of this unaddressed crisis, following the session’s end Prosperity Indiana and the Hoosier Housing Needs Coalition issued a call and sign-on effort to urge Governor Holcomb to appoint an inter-agency, inter-branch ‘Commission on Housing Safety, Stability, and Affordability’ to advance solutions. The Governor has signaled “Message Received” although the Commission has yet to be created as of this writing. 

Although the General Assembly took no meaningful steps to lower costs and increase housing standards for low- and middle-income Hoosiers this session, they did pass two bills that will protect homeowners by curbing deceptive real estate practices. HEA 1068 Unlicensed real estate solicitors authored by Rep. Ed Clere (R-New Albany) will increase disclosure requirements for unlicensed real estate solicitations and allow a short window to cancel transactions resulting from such solicitations. HEA 1222 Residential real estate service agreements, authored by Rep. Craig Haggard (R-Mooresville) and will protect homeowners from unfair real estate fee agreements in property records. Prosperity Indiana testified in support of both bills. 

Another housing bill that did not pass should serve as a warning to Hoosiers working to end homelessness in our communities. HB 1413State and local policies on homelessness bore telltale similarities to cookie-cutter legislation pushed by national interest groups that would have criminalized homelessness and forced Indiana to abandon proven Housing First homelessness prevention services and funds. Prosperity Indiana applauded author Rep. Michelle Davis (R-Greenwood) for taking the time to talk with coalition members and Indiana’s community service providers who successfully use the evidence-based Housing First approach every day, and for choosing to withdraw the bill from consideration. However, with efforts to criminalize homelessness continuing at the federal, state, and local levels, Prosperity Indiana members must continue to educate lawmakers about why #HousingFirstWorks. 

Community Development Resources: Prosperity Indiana members worked with legislative champions to create a trio of bills to provide communities with resources to create and maintain affordable housing and services. However, again due to shortened committee calendars, the bills were not granted a hearing and allowed an up-or-down vote. These included HB 1212 Land banks authored by Rep. Elizabeth Rowray (R-Muncie) and Rep. Sue Errington (D-Muncie), which would have provided community land banks with the ability to acquire vacant, abandoned, and deteriorating properties that remain unsold at county tax sales, and with administrative tools and options for financial resources to strengthen land bank operations. Likewise, HB 1029 authored by Rep. Maureen Bauer (D-South Bend) and SB 207 both titled ‘Assessment of community land trust property’ would have addressed the issue that housing created by Community Land Trusts meant to be kept at affordable prices is assessed for property taxes at market rates. 

While these bills did not advance, Prosperity Indiana was proud to support Sen. Vaneta Becker (R-Evansville) and IHCDA in the agency-sponsored bill SEA 260 Neighborhood and individual development incentives. The bill modernizes the administration of and procedure for claiming the neighborhood assistance tax credit and the individual development account tax credit. Most relevant for Prosperity Indiana members, the bill shortens the time it takes for low-income participants in the successful Individual Development Account program to access matched savings once they reach their savings and financial counseling goals. 

Asset-Building and Consumer Protections: On one hand, the Indiana General Assembly avoided protracted efforts to expand predatory subprime and payday lending that in previous sessions has taken much time and effort by Prosperity Indiana members and partners in Hoosiers for Responsible Lending to defeat. On the other hand, the legislature did not pass two measures that would have meaningfully strengthened consumer protections for Hoosiers. HB 1171 Small loan finance charges authored by Rep. Carey Hamilton (D-Indianapolis) would have capped payday loans at 36% APR, the same limit the federal government provides for active duty servicemembers. SB 200 Nonprofit loan center loans for state employees was the brainchild of Sen. Spencer Deery (R-West Lafayette) stemming from conversations with Prosperity Indiana members and staff and would have extended the benefits of Community Loan Center payday loan alternatives to state employees. While SB 200 passed the Senate by a wide bipartisan 41-8 margin, the bill was not granted a hearing by the House Financial Institutions Committee. 

Despite not having time for productive bills like HB 1171 and SB 202, the legislature did find time to pass two bills that further tip accountability away from financial institutions and will weaken consumer protections. These include HB 1284 authored by Rep. Kyle Pierce (R-Anderson), which increases institutions’ capacity to change account terms with little notice and SB 188 Actions on deposit accounts, authored by Sen. Scott Baldwin (R-Noblesville), which limits consumer recourse against false and mistaken fees or other bank errors.  

While no bills proposing major changes to the state’s tax system advanced this session, the ongoing State and Local Tax Review Task Force has signaled it is mulling such changes for 2025, including eliminating Indiana’s individual income tax. Prosperity Indiana presented to the Task Force in January and called on the General Assembly to “do no harm” Hoosiers and their communities. The presentation included new data co-released in part by Prosperity Indiana and the Indiana Assets & Opportunity Network showing that Indiana already taxes low-income residents at the 2^nd-highest rate in the Midwest and 5^th-highest in the nation. Eliminating revenue sources without replacement threatens to further imbalance tax burdens on the most vulnerable Hoosiers and threatens resources and services that community economic development organizations provide. 

Preparing for a “monumental” session in 2025: The potential for tax system changes is just part of what legislative leaders are already calling a “monumental” budget session in 2025, with major implications for affordable housing, community development resources, and asset-building and consumer protection policies. And of course, between them is a set of state and federal elections that will determine which policymakers will be in office and making these decisions. 

So, in the remainder of this year, how can community economic development stakeholders make their voices heard and be prepared for a momentous 2025? First, every stakeholder should be sure their Prosperity Indiana membership is current so that our network has a united voice to remove barriers, bridge gaps, and create positive change for Hoosier communities. Second, be sure to join and share events and information from our coalitions the Hoosier Housing Needs Coalition, the Indiana Assets & Opportunity Network, and Hoosiers for Responsible Lending to amplify advocacy on these critical issues. And third, be sure every member of your network is registered to vote following the latest requirements, because stronger Indiana communities are built with ballots every bit as much as they are with bricks and drywall. 

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - A new report by Prosperity Indiana and the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) finds that amid a staggering acceleration in the shortage of affordable housing, Indiana’s rates of affordable housing supply and severe housing cost burden for extremely low-income renters are some of the worst in the Midwest, and now worse than the national average, contrary to the common claim that Indiana is an affordable place to live. 

The report, The Gap: A Shortage of Affordable Homes finds a national shortage of 7.3 million affordable and available rental homes for extremely low-income renter households – those with incomes at or below the poverty level or 30% of their area median income (AMI), whichever is greater – resulting in just 33.89 (rounded to 34) affordable and available rental homes for every 100 extremely low-income renter households nationwide.   

The Gap: A Shortage of Affordable Homes also reveals that there are 209,710 extremely low-income households in Indiana (an increase of 10,660 since the 2023 report) but only 70,392 affordable and available rental homes available to them (a loss of 7,862 units). This leaves a gap of 139,318 affordable and available units (18,522 more missing units than in 2023) or only 33.57 (rounding up to 34) rental homes for every 100 extremely low-income households in the state.

View map here.

Analysis of The Gap data by Prosperity Indiana finds that, at approximately 34 units available for every 100 households in need, affordable and available rental homes for Extremely Low Income (ELI) households is not only now below the 2024 national average, but is a lower rate of attainable housing than states such as New York, Hawaii, or Massachusetts. Indiana’s rate of affordable and available housing for the most vulnerable renter households is also second-lowest in the Midwest, with only Nebraska being worse off at 32.50.   

Released annually, The Gap investigates the severe shortage of affordable rental homes available to extremely low-income families and individuals nationwide as well as in every state and metro area. While rents have stabilized since the pandemic in most markets – and even declined to a small degree in some markets – the supply of affordable rental housing for extremely low-income households remains deeply inadequate nationwide, including in Indiana. As a consequence, about 76% of extremely low-income Hoosier renters are severely housing cost-burdened, meaning that they spend more than 50% of their income on housing with little left over for food, healthcare, and other basic necessities.  

Prosperity Indiana’s analysis of The Gap data finds that at 75.65%, Indiana’s rate of severe housing cost burden for ELI renter households is not only higher than the national average (73.71%) but is 10^th-highest among all 50 states.  Indiana’s rate of severe housing cost burden is also the highest among any Midwest state.  

Aspen Clemons, Executive Director at Prosperity Indiana shares that “The proportion of older Hoosiers making up the state's ELI population has increased from 21% to 28% in two years, signaling that aging Hoosiers are becoming increasingly more vulnerable”. She continues, “In Indiana, 62% of Black households are renters and 23% are extremely low-income renters. 45% of Latino households are renters and 10% are extremely low-income renters. These disparities are the product of historical and ongoing injustices that have systematically disadvantaged Black and brown Hoosiers, often preventing them from owning a home and significantly limiting their ability to build wealth”.  

View chart here.

The report confirms what Indiana’s housing advocates have been saying for years: the state’s largest housing gaps and cost burdens are borne by the lowest-income Hoosier renters who make up some of the most vulnerable populations in the state. At 33%, the greatest proportion of ELI renter households are in the workforce, along with older Hoosiers at 28% (increasing from 26% in 2023 and 21% in 2022), disabled Hoosiers at 22%, students at 6%, caregivers at 4%, and other households at 7%.  

Of the plurality of Indiana’s ELI households who are in the labor force, over two-thirds of these Hoosiers are working more than part-time hours, with the greatest proportion (40%) working 40 hours or more per week and another 31% working between 20 and 39 hours per week. Another 15% work fewer than 20 hours per week and the remaining 14% are in the labor force but are jobless, looking for a job, and available for work. In summary, the largest segment of Indiana’s poorest renter households actively participates in the state’s labor force, with most working at more than part time status.  

The report also reveals that national and state rental markets provide an adequate supply of housing for middle-income renters but that neither the nation’s nor Indiana’s rental market provides enough homes for extremely low-income renters. Even in housing markets with shortages of affordable and available homes for middle-income renters, the cumulative shortage is largely attributable to the significant unmet housing needs of people with the lowest incomes, who must occupy higher-priced homes in the private market that would otherwise be available to higher-income renters.  

View chart here.

The Gap finds that the rate of affordable and available rental housing has decreased among all income levels – not just ELI households - in Indiana since last year, but the largest losses are concentrated at the bottom of the income spectrum. With a deficit of 139,318 units, Indiana’s widest housing gap is by far among Hoosiers earning below 30% AMI. When considered cumulatively along with those ELI households, the state’s Very Low Income households (those earning between 0-50% AMI) experience a smaller but still substantial gap of 102,853 affordable and available units. This equals a rate of 70 units for every 100 households earning below half of AMI statewide (down from 76 in 2023).   

However, The Gap data finds that at or below 80% Area Median Income, a population known as Low Income (LI), there is an absolute surplus of 3,735 affordable and available rental units in Indiana (down from 16,336 in 2023), equaling a rate of 101 units for every 100 of these LI households (down from 103 in 2023). And above the statewide median income there is an absolute surplus of 15, 711 affordable and available units (down from 39,223 in 2023), equaling a rate of 103 affordable and available units for ever 100 of these median income households (down from 105 in 2023).  

View chart here.

The burden of Indiana’s gap in affordable and available rental housing is disproportionately shouldered by Black and brown Hoosier households, as these households are more likely to be renters. They are also twice or more as likely as white households to be extremely low-income renters. For example, 62% of Black households are renters and 23% are extremely low-income renters. 45% of Latino households are renters and 10% are extremely low-income renters. By contrast, 24% of white households are renters and 6% are extremely low-income renters. These disparities are the product of historical and ongoing injustices that have systematically disadvantaged Hoosiers of color, often preventing them from owning a home and significantly limiting wealth accumulation. These disparities also mean that Indiana’s policy choices to not adequately target resources for developing, preserving, and enforcing the habitability standards of homes affordable for those at the lowest incomes disproportionately puts the health and economic burdens of substandard housing on Black and brown Hoosier renter households.  

View chart here.

Though Indiana is commonly thought of as an affordable place to live when it comes to the availability and cost of housing, this reputation does not bear out for the lowest-income Hoosiers who face housing shortages and high rates of housing cost burden. And while the Midwest is typically more affordable than heavily populated coastal areas, Indiana performs near the bottom of the region. In 2024, Indiana has the second-lowest rate of affordable and available housing for ELI households at 33.57% and far below the average of 39.63% for states in the region.

View table here.

Indiana’s rate of 75.65% of ELI households who experience severe housing cost burdens in 2024 is the highest of any Midwest state and above the regional average of 69.72%. Because severe housing cost burden is itself an indicator of housing instability, this means that more than three quarters of the most vulnerable Hoosier renter households are currently at risk of eviction and homelessness, along with the long-term health and economic damage these things bring.  

View table here.  

Additional data provided for The Gap 2024 Indiana state report using American Community Survey data finds that the gap in affordable and available housing and rates of severe housing cost burden are statewide and affect rural, urban, and suburban counties alike. Only one county (Union) shows an outlier data result with a small surplus of 25 units. All other Indiana counties show a deficit of affordable and available rental homes for ELI households, ranging from a gap of 40 in Crawford and LaGrange Counties to 37,420 in Marion County. 26 Indiana counties have rates of affordable and available rental homes per 100 ELI households that are below the national average. And 18 counties have rates of severe housing cost burden for ELI households above the national average. 

Find ‘the Gap’ of affordable and available rental homes for ELI households in all 92 Indiana counties at this link. 

View map here. 

“The findings from The Gap 2024 Indiana state report echo what Prosperity Indiana’s members and coalition partners have been seeing in the field, that Indiana is no longer an affordable place to live for the most vulnerable members of our communities,” said Andrew Bradley, Policy Director for Prosperity Indiana and NLIHC Board Member. “It is alarming to see Indiana’s rate of affordable housing and severe cost burden become worse than the national average and at or near worst in the Midwest. These findings should serve as a wake-up call to Indiana’s policymakers to not let the decline of the state’s housing supply, and the health and economic effects of that decline, serve as their legacy. Indiana’s elected officials should use this moment to work with Hoosiers at the front lines of the state’s housing safety, stability, and affordability crisis to dedicate resources to develop, preserve, and enforce the habitability standards of housing so that it is attainable for all Hoosiers,” Bradley said.  

“Even with a strong economy and stabilizing rents, homelessness has increased to its highest level ever recorded, and millions of the lowest-income and most marginalized households are at risk,” said NLIHC President and CEO Diane Yentel. “We know what works to end housing insecurity and homelessness – what we lack is the political will to invest in these solutions at the scale needed. More than ever, Congress should act quickly to enact bold legislation to ensure rental assistance is universally available, build and preserve homes affordable to people with the lowest incomes, create tools to prevent eviction and homelessness, and strengthen renter protections to keep renters stably housed.”  

Learn more about The Gap by visiting: https://nlihc.org/gap