Developing Indiana Neighborhoods

Ice Miller, the Indianapolis Coalition for Neighborhood Development (ICND) and IACED are pleased to announce a new 4-part educational series, Developing Indiana Neighborhoods. The series sessions are designed for community development corporations and other  community economic development officials in Indiana.  

Session one will include an overview of the following tools for housing and economic development in Indiana neighborhoods, as well as a reception and networking opportunity:
* Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC)
* New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC)
* Historic Tax Credit (State and Federal)
* Brownfields incentives
* Other financing sources
* Legislative update on property taxes and affordable housing

Session one will take place on Thursday, May 24, 2012.  The series will be offered at no cost to ICND and IACED members. Registration is requested, but not required.  Please call Zachary Davis at (317) 221-2971 to register today. For more details, visit the IACED blog post by clicking here. 

Among financial access initiatives, Bank On programs are a growing strategy to connect unbanked consumers to starter or "second chance" accounts. Bank On Indiana is an example of this type of program. It is a statewide initiative to connect unbanked Hoosiers with local financial institutions. Bank On Indiana is a collaborative effort among the Office of the Treasurer of Indiana, nonprofit organizations, banks and credit unions, and trade associations (including IACED) to bring unbanked Hoosiers the opportunity to open and maintain safe, affordable checking accounts.

In April, CFED released a report, Partnerships You Can Bank On: Sustainable Financial Institution Engagement in Bank On Programs, that for the first time investigates the extent to which financial institution engagement in Bank On programs has been successful from the perspective of the participating financial institutions. In this report, the Bank on Indiana Best Practices Guide and organizational materials from Bank on Indy [Indianapolis] are referenced for building a better national Bank On movement. Visit the Bank On Indiana website:  http://www.bankonindiana.org to access these beneficial materials and learn how to start a program in your Hoosier community.

Report shows homelessness rates down, Indiana rates amongst lowest in nation

Based on a report released earlier this year by the National Alliance to End Homelessness, overall homelessness dropped approximately one percent in the U.S. from 2009 to 2011, despite the economic recession. Also, while two of the populations most at risk of homelessness - youth aged out of foster care and people discharged from prison - increased in Indiana from 2009 to 2010, the two populations at greatest risk of becoming homeless - veterans and people living doubled up with friends or family - decreased across the state. As a result, overall homelessness was down 11.3 percent (from 6,984 to 6,196 persons) for Hoosiers during that period.

The report, The State of Homelessness in America 2012, points to the Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program (HPRP), made available through stimulus spending, and the increase in number of beds available for permanent supportive housing as contributing to this decline in homelessness. For more Indiana-specific data, read the full blog post here. 

This month, IACED staff focused much of the blog content on homelessness facts, trends and figures. In this blog post, we examine these causes of rural homelessness.  When we think of homelessness, we often think of very urban areas and many homeless do indeed live in urban areas, but we rarely think about rural homelessness even though it exists.

Rural homeless are more likely to live out of plain sight, they double or triple up (in terms of households) in small apartments or homes, live in their cars, stay at motels, or stay outside hidden from view. The same structural factors that contribute to homelessness in urban areas lead to homelessness in rural areas - lack of affordable housing and inadequate income.  But unlike urban areas, the infrastructure to provide quick and comprehensive services to those experiencing homelessness is not as readily available. 

Strategies for Rural Homelessness

After we examined the similarities and differences between urban and rural homelessness, we wanted to explore some of the strategies being used to address the issue.  The blog post found here details specific strategies and best practices employed to combat homelessness in rural communities.

Across the Nation  

House, Senate Make Progress on FY13 Budget Proposals

As IACED staff outlined in an earlier blog post found here, the House and the Senate passed their respective FY13 baseline spending levels in March.  The Senate figure followed the baseline funding requirements passed in the Budget Control Act (BCA) of 2011.  The House, however, moved forward with the figure established by the House Budget Committee that was below the level established in the BCA. Since then, House and Senate appropriators have allocated funds to the 12 appropriations subcommittees.  Those subcommittee funding levels are referred to as 302 (b) allocations.

House appropriators have not issued program-specific funding levels, but they did release spending goals last week that would provide $51.6 billion in total programmatic funds for the Transportation and Housing and Urban Development (THUD) Appropriations Subcommittee.  The House 302 (b) allocation is $1.8 billion below the Senate's allocation for the same programs.  The Senate released a proposal providing $53.4 billion in discretionary funds for the THUD Subcommittee.  Under this proposal, several key HUD programs would actually see a boost over FY12 funding levels.   

On April 26, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved the FY13 budget for Department of Agriculture programs, including rural housing.  While specific figures are not available yet, the National Rural Housing Coalition noted that the committee's press release mentions that the Senate would keep Section 502 direct loans at the current FY12 levels, versus the $652.8 million included in the Administration's request.  The Coalition goes on to add that the Senate budget recommendations fund Agriculture programs at the higher of the FY12 rate or the Administration's request.   

In the House, the Agriculture Committee is required to find $33 billion in savings over 10 years, based on provisions in the House Budget Committee proposal.  Subsequently, House appropriators announced that they would reach this funding level by converting the the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps, to a state block grant program.  It is not likely that the Senate will consider this conversion proposal.

For a detailed description of these figures and proposals, please visit the full IACED blog post by clicking here.  

VAWA passes the Senate

On April 26, the Senate passed a five-year reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).  The law, originally passed in 1994, authorized federal prosecution of interstate domestic violence, stalking and firearms crimes.  The act also created the National Domestic Violence Hotline, authorized funds for education, shelter and prevention programs to serve victims of domestic violence.

The law has not been reauthorized since 2005.  While this measure generally enjoys broad bipartisan support, leaders in the House and Senate have not been unable reach a compromise on several provisions and have introduced competing versions of the reauthorization.  The House will consider its version of this bill in mid-May.  To read more on the specifics of these provisions, click here for the IACED blog post.

New Report Proposes Alternatives to Criminalizing Homeless 'Acts of Living'

Criminalization of "acts of living" of homeless persons has been on the rise, according to research included in a report released last week. Detractors of such criminalization suggest that this method of enforcement only serves to exacerbate homelessness. The focus of the new report, released by the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH), are alternative strategies for communities that have implemented policies that criminalize activities such as sleeping in public and panhandling.

For more information, check out the IACED blog post here.