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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Membership Renewal Opens Monday!
As we enter the renewal season, we want to take a moment to express our gratitude for your continued support. Together, we’ve made strides in fostering economic growth, tackling Indiana’s housing crisis, and supporting Hoosier communities.
We are excited to introduce some changes that will enhance your membership experience:
- Free Student Membership: Yes, it's FREE! Our student membership will allow scholars to connect with the network and access learning opportunities.
- Enhanced Benefits: We have upgraded our benefits to provide exclusive opportunities that increase your organization's visibility and impact. Leader and Champion members can look forward to benefits such as:
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- Featured Placement on Our Website: Prominently display your logo and hyperlink on our homepage.
- Sponsorship Opportunities: Sponsor member convening, training, or webinar.
- Sponsored Content: Highlight content on our platforms (newsletter, website, blog, and social media).
- Adopt a member: Sponsor a nonprofit organization membership.
To stay connected and informed throughout this renewal process, please add hello@prosperityindiana.org to your contacts. We want to ensure you don’t miss out on important updates and the opportunity to unlock enhanced benefits.
Your involvement is crucial to our collective success, and we look forward to another year of impactful work together. Thank you for being an essential part of the Prosperity Indiana network!
For more information, please contact Destinee Lewis at dlewis@prosperityindiana.org.
Vote for Board - Slate Coming Soon Each nonprofit member organization will have the opportunity to vote for new and returning PI board members. Check your email inbox for the 2024 Board Slate coming your way after the November Board Meeting on November 15, 2024. |
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Spotlight on Upcoming Events
Housing & Faith Summit: Congregational Support for Housing Affordable to Everyone | November 13, 2024 | Electric Works | Fort Wayne, IN | 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
The Summit exceeded its original registration limit, but PI was able to add 25 more registrations for this extremely popular program. Space is filling up quickly so do not miss the opportunity to learn how congregations can play a role in affordable housing development. Register!
Eviction Guidance for Indiana Tenants
If you are working with a tenant who is behind on rent, is likely to get behind on rent, or has an eviction filed against them, it is important to provide the following guidance:
- Find legal help as soon as possible – the earlier the better. There are many organizations around the state that offer FREE legal advice and representation to tenants. To find free legal help, visit IndianaLegalHelp.org and click on the “Get Legal Help” button or click on this link: indianalegalhelp.org/get-help/. Tenants can also connect directly to legal aid lawyers by email through Indiana Free Legal Answers (indiana.freelegalanswers.org/or) or by phone at: (317) 527-0552. You can find a helpful flyer here (indianalegalhelp.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Free-Legal-Help-Flyer-20240619.pdf) to share with tenants and others looking for legal help.
- Even if you think you are likely to lose your home, talking to a lawyer can make the situation better. Legal aid lawyers can help tenants negotiate payments with landlords, argue for tenants to have more time to move out, help tenants find rental assistance or another place to live, and in some cases prevent an eviction. To find free legal help, visit IndianaLegalHelp.org and click on the “Get Legal Help” button or click on this link:indianalegalhelp.org/get-help/. Tenants can also connect directly to legal aid lawyers by email through Indiana Free Legal Answers ( indiana.freelegalanswers.org/or) or by phone at: (317) 527- 0552.
- Go to court. Eviction in Indiana has two steps – a possession hearing and a damages hearing – so tenants have to go to court at least two times. If an eviction is filed, it is important for tenants to go to court for both the possession hearing and the damages hearing. The possession hearing is first and is when the court decides if the tenant has to move out. The damages hearing is second, often at a later date. This is when the court decides if either party owes money for rent or damages. Visit IndianaLegalHelp.org to learn more about the eviction process and how to prepare for court (indianalegalhelp.org/eviction-frequently-asked-questions/)
- If you have been evicted or have past evictions on your record, eviction sealing may be possible. Past evictions can make it hard to find a new place to live. In Indiana, tenants can have past evictions hidden (or sealed) from public record in some situations. Tenants can file with the court to have past evictions sealed by following these instructions (indianalegalhelp.org/legal-topic/eviction-sealing-form/) or by working with a legal aid lawyer. To find free legal help, visitIndianaLegalHelp.org and click on the “Get Legal Help” button or click on this link:indianalegalhelp.org/get-help/. Tenants can also connect directly to legal aid lawyers by email through Indiana Free Legal Answers (indiana.freelegalanswers.org/or) or by phone at (317) 527-0552.
Two Indiana Cities Join New America’s Eviction Data Response Network (EDRN) |
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According to a recent blog post published by New America, Fort Wayne, Indiana, and South Bend, Indiana, are included in a cohort of U.S. cities that have partnered with the Future of Land and Housing (FLH) program at New America. Throughout the next year, the FLH program will “provide mentorship and technical assistance for network partners to access, analyze, and report their local eviction data,
potentially through the development of eviction data dashboards, with the ultimate goal of building a local culture around using eviction data for data-driven policymaking and interventions.”
The initiative has brought together cross-sector partnerships in the “government, university, and nonprofit,” sectors, with representation across 11 U.S. regions, and jurisdictions, to form the Eviction Data Response Network (EDRN). Although network partners’ access to current eviction data is varied from city to city, and while each city faces unique “political, regulatory, and administrative environments,” they commonly support the need for improving “access to and analysis of local eviction data.” Doing so would help network partners to identify community needs and assist with the development of targeted policies and responsive resources that help keep families stably housed.
Network partner cities also located in or near the Midwest include Columbus, Ohio, and Louisville, Kentucky. Participation in the FLH program is free because of support from Melville Charitable Trust and the Digital Harbor Foundation. For more information about the FLH program at New America, please visit here. To explore additional publications and resources by the FLH team at New America, please go here. |
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Be sure your staff, clients, and partners make a plan to vote by Election Day!
Share PI’s ‘TurboVote’ link to learn who is on your ballot, the rules for voting, and make a plan to vote by November 5. Please continue to use PI’s Our Homes, Our Votes voter education and candidate engagement resources to lift up housing and economic opportunity issues in this election!
Candidates Answer Prosperity Indiana’s 2024 Housing and Economic Opportunity Election Questionnaire
Candidates for Indiana Governor, U.S. Senate, and U.S. House of Representatives 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. See candidate responses here.
Prosperity Indiana Informing Indiana Governor’s Race on Housing, Property Tax Issues
As part of our 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 Decision 2024Gubernatorial 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 reform proposals. Find the reports and additional information here.
Upcoming PI Advocacy Events
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Community Loan Center
Prosperity Indiana announces First Merchants Bank's sponsorship of the Community Loan Center Employer Expansion Initiative. The Prosperity Indiana team will partner with Indiana's three regional lending partners - CoAction in Crown Point, Homestead Resources in Lafayette, and Brightpoint in Fort Wayne - to increase access to payday lending alternatives for employees in each region. |
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Intend Indiana Works to Connect People to Opportunity
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Intend Indiana (Intend), a chartered member of NeighborWorks America, is a nonprofit that advances comprehensive community development through innovative financing and development solutions that create and preserve affordable housing, support neighborhood revitalization efforts, and foster small business development.
Intend envisions communities where quality of life, access to housing, and economic opportunities are not determined by race, socioeconomic background, or zip code. The communities support impactful partnerships that increase access to opportunities in ways that are equitable and inclusive.
Diversity, equity, and inclusion are the foundations on which Intend Indiana is built. We acknowledge that economic systems continue to be discriminatory and cause great harm to communities of color. We will work to dismantle those systems through our lending, initiatives, and collaborations.
Over the next five years, Intend wants to invest $50 million directly into Indiana communities through:
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Investment: Leveraging $10 million in philanthropic grants, $20 million in federal grants, and $10 million in leveraged loans to invest in communities
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Community Building & Engagement: Hosting 100 outreach events, generating 1,000+ hours of capacity building with partners, and nurturing 25 new partner relationships
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Affordable Housing: Funding $25 million in construction, $20 million in contracts with underserved businesses, and $10 million in homebuyer equity
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Lending: Funding $15 million in below-market rate mortgages and $2 million in loans to XBE businesses
You can see their progress on these goals here.
Passionate about affordable housing or mission-driven lending? Intend welcomes community-driven professionals to serve on their board and committees to oversee the operations of their four main initiatives. Contact them to ask about opportunities to get involved.
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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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NLIHC Announces Generation Housing Justice Applications Now Open
Generation Housing Justice, a new initiative aiming to encourage young advocates to participate in the housing justice movement, was announced by NLIHC. Beginning January 2025, the initiative will run through May 2025 and include 20 fellows, ages 18 to 24. Fellows will gain the knowledge and resources needed to successfully advocate for federal affordable housing solutions and effectively organize in their own communities. Learn more here. |
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New Grant Opportunity for People with Lived Experiences
The National Alliance to End Homelessness is pleased to announce the Susan G. Baker and Elizabeth Boyle Innovation Fund. This fund honors two of the Alliance’s co-founders and will support individuals with lived experience of homelessness in pursuing innovative professional and creative endeavors. Eligible applicants can receive up to $25,000 in funding for initiatives like starting a business, research efforts, or creative projects. Applications are due by December 30, 2024, with virtual presentations and interviews scheduled for January 2025. |
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United Way Leadership United Program
Leadership United participants are corporate and community leaders looking to develop their skills as nonprofit board leaders in the Central Indiana community. Participants gain insight into the challenges facing individuals and families in Central Indiana who are struggling to make ends meet and develop skills in nonprofit board leadership - leaving the program fully prepared to serve on a nonprofit board in our community.
Learn more about the program 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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