Piece of the PI is sponsored by the Federal Home Loan Bank of Indianapolis |
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Piece of the PI: Newsletter
A monthly publication for the members of Prosperity Indiana
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We REAP prosperity by providing Resources, Engagement, Advocacy, and Programs that support our members' work! |
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Spotlight on Upcoming Events
Housing & Faith Summit: Ensuring Everyone Has a Safe Place to Live In person program | November 2024 | Fort Wayne, IN
With support from Flagstar Bank, PI will deliver a unique opportunity for faith-based organizations in northern Indiana to determine how they will advance housing that is affordable to everyone in their community. The November Summit will strengthen the ability of faith-based organizations to increase the quality and quantity of affordable units by leading a development project, partnering on a project, or providing essential services supporting housing stability. Registration and additional information coming soon!
Creating Housing Stability Through Collaboration
Many thanks to Evansville’s HOUSE coalition members for their participation in a PI-led conversation focusing on data, stakeholder, and infrastructure opportunities to expand and sustain its work.
Housing Counseling Updates
HUD has announced the availability of a newly updated certification exam for housing counselors. In addition to content updates, the exam and associated training materials are now available in Spanish, Traditional Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese.
The HUD Housing Counseling Certification Website and HUD Housing Counseling Exam have been updated. The updates to the exam include new questions that incorporate counseling scenarios that are relevant to current client needs, refreshed training and practice exam questions, and a newly updated Housing Counseling Certification Exam website where counselors can find both the regular Housing Counseling certification exam and HUD’s Home Equity Conversion Mortgage counselor exam.
Congratulations to Jason Rucker from Community Action Program of Evansville (CAPE) for passing the HUD Certified Housing Counselor exam! Also, a shout out to Near North Development Corporation for becoming a HUD-Approved Housing Counseling Agency. For more information on housing counseling services or upcoming housing counseling training opportunities, please reach out to ddrew@prosperityindiana.org.
Indiana Bar Foundation
Tenants who have one or more evictions on their record could struggle to find housing options and may want past evictions hidden from the public. Hiding past evictions, also called eviction sealing, can improve the chances of renting in the future. Not every past eviction can be sealed. Evictions that can be sealed are those that were dismissed by the court, decided in favor of the tenant, or overturned by the court. The tenant must also pay any money the court says they owe the landlord before an eviction can be sealed.
IndianaLegalHelp.org has resources for tenants interested in sealing past evictions. Click here to find an approved court form that can be used to request an eviction sealing with instructions on how to complete the form and how to file it. Need help? You can also find a listing of legal aid organizations and free legal clinics on the Indiana Legal Help website. From the homepage, click the blue “Get Legal Help” button and enter your zip code or county to find legal aid help in your area.
Did you know there are 150 Indiana Legal Help kiosks in libraries and courthouses around the state? There is at least one kiosk in every county. You can get to the Indiana Legal Help website from any kiosk and complete the eviction sealing form and print it for free. Find a kiosk near you by clicking here.
Tools You Can Use
Corporate Wealth vs. Community Health: How Corporate Landlords’ Profit-Seeking Strategies Harm Health
Human Impact Partners (HIP) published a recent report, Corporate Wealth vs. Community Health: How Corporate Landlords’ Profit-seeking Strategies Harm Health. The report explores the connections between public health, corporate wealth, and housing conditions. To access the full report, and additional materials to learn more about the negative effects corporate landlords’ and Wall Street investors have on housing conditions, and public health outcomes, please visit here. |
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Summer Regional Meeting Tour
Wow, this summer has been incredibly eventful for the Prosperity Indiana team! We’ve had the pleasure of traveling across the state—from Fort Wayne and Gary to South Bend and Lafayette—and we thoroughly enjoyed our time in Evansville last week. Each visit provided us with valuable opportunities to delve into region-specific topics and engage in meaningful discussions about emerging trends in our field.
A special thank you to our wonderful hosts for partnering with us and ensuring this year’s meetings went off without a hitch. Your support made all the difference!
We’re thrilled to continue these discussions in our final two Regional Meetings of the summer! If you haven’t registered yet, click on the city below to secure your spot today. Feel free to share this with friends or colleagues who might be interested.
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Collage of photos from Regional Meetings in Lafayette, South Bend, Gary, and Evansville. |
Let's Extend Your Reach
We’re excited to spotlight our members’ events and career
opportunities in our monthly newsletter, with job openings also featured on our
website. If you have an event or job posting you’d like to share, please send
the details to Destinee Lewis at dlewis@prosperityindiana.org!
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Policy Priorities Survey Prosperity Indiana members: keep your eye out for the 2025 PI Members’ Policy Priorities Survey that will be coming your way in the next few weeks. This members’ only survey is the primary tool that the PI Board and Policy Committee uses to create our annual agenda. We strive for 100% member participation, so please be sure that someone from your organization completes the survey so your voice is counted!
National Alliance to End Homelessness Capitol Hill Day On July 10, PI staff and members including LTHC Homeless Services and CHIP-Indy participated in the National Alliance to End Homelessness’ Capitol Hill Day in Washington, DC. The group was able to present Senator Todd Young with the letter signed by 75 organizations urging him to advance his Eviction Crisis Act and Family Stability & Economic Vouchers Act in the Senate Banking Committee’s bipartisan housing package. The group also met with Senator Mike Braun and gave his staff a copy of the proposal signed by nearly 500 Hoosier organizations and individuals supporting the creation of a Governor’s Commission on Housing Safety, Stability, and Affordability. In addition, the group met with Congresswoman Victoria Spartz and staff from the offices of Congressman Andre Carson and Congressman Jim Baird to talk about the rise in homelessness in Indiana and needed investments in homeless services and Housing First solutions. |
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Housing First Toolkit
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. |
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Upcoming Coalition Webinars
Indiana's Tax Inequity: Securing Revenue for Indiana's Future and Who Pays
The A&O Network's new webinar explores Indiana’s upside-down tax system, with the wealthy paying a far lesser share of their income to tax than low- and middle-income families. That’s according to the latest edition of the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy’s "Who Pays?" which comes at a key moment when Indiana policymakers are considering sweeping changes to the state’s tax system, including some that would make the system even less fair while also compromising our ability to fund shared priorities such as good schools, reliable infrastructure, and affordable health and child care. Join the webinar with Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy's Neva Butkus and Center on Budget and Policy Priorities' Wesley Tharpe on August 6 by registering here.
The Hidden Cost of Buy-Now-Pay-Later Products
Buy-now-pay-later loan products are exploding into the U.S. economy like an invasive species that doesn't behave like the forms of credit we already know. As more and more people across the nation use this payment form in order to afford daily necessities, a new report by the Indiana Community Action Poverty Institute explores the disproportionate risks and harms faced by low-income individuals and what the CFPB's new regulations mean for the industry. The webinar presented by the Hoosiers for Responsible Lending Coalition on August 13 will feature the Indiana Community Action Poverty Institute's Zia Saylor. Register here. |
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Community Loan Center Prosperity Indiana is giving a shout-out to employers in the West Central region who recognize the value of financial wellness by providing Community Loan Center benefits to their employees. This credit-building benefits package boost is available at no charge to Indiana-based employers in every region of the state. For more information go to clcofindiana.org/employers. |
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Executive Director Aspen Clemons presenting at the Regional Meeting in Gary. |
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Connect with Prosperity Indiana on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn to see more of what we're out in the community doing for you! |
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Additional Information & Opportunities |
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Forward Together Grant Fund for Nonprofit Organizations in the Evansville Community
The fund will be used to provide support for eligible nonprofits who lead meaningful work to help strengthen neighborhoods and provide pathways out of poverty for city residents. Organizations may apply for up to $35,000 apiece to fund programs. Applications can be submitted before September 5. Learn more here.
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Beyond the Bridge: A Solution to Homelessness Screening
Beyond the Bridge is a documentary exploring solutions to homelessness, based on a nationwide journey to 12 cities. It emphasizes a coordinated homelessness response system, involving law enforcement, judicial systems, businesses, service providers, volunteers, and local leadership, all adhering to Housing First principles.
This is a free, non-ticketed event at Clowes Memorial Hall on August 20 at 4:30. Register here.
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Funds Available to Assist Low-Income Homeowners
Preservation Grant program provides grant funds to assist very low- and low-income homeowners in repairing and rehabilitating their homes in rural areas. In addition, the program assists rental property owners and cooperative housing complexes in repairing and rehabilitating their units if they agree to make such units available to very low- and low-income persons. Apply before July 29 here.
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A Conversation About Private Equity with Brendan Ballou
Join FHCCI on August 13 for a presentation by Brendan Ballou, author of “Plunder: Private Equity’s Plan to Pillage America,” as he sheds light on how private equity firms are actively reshaping American business using legal loopholes to avoid liability. The FHCCI is especially concerned about private equity’s involvement in the housing market, discussed by Mr. Ballou in his book.
Register and learn more here. |
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Indianapolis Community Building Institute Application Now Open
ICBI is a 5-week biweekly training program for neighbors seeking hands-on experience learning about community organizing and leadership.
Highlights of the program include 5 free neighborhood organizing classes, a collaborative environment with support from INRC staff, and $1,500 grants available for community projects The deadline to apply is August 1st. Apply here. |
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Prosperity Indiana 1099 N. Meridian Street, Suite 170, Indianapolis, IN 46204 (317) 222 - 1221 This email was sent to {Contact_Email}. If you no longer wish to receive emails from Prosperity Indiana, click here to manage your subscription. |
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