Indiana communities seek to position themselves to achieve long-term viability. One of the issues that emerges as a major barrier to economic growth is the limited availability of a diverse stock of decent housing, especially in rural and less populated areas of the state. A team of researchers from the Purdue Center for Regional Development and the Purdue Extension Community Development focused on seeking ways how to improve the mix of housing needed to meet current and future housing demand and needs.
A team of the Purdue Center for Regional Development and Community Development Extension staff conducted studies on the state, regional, county, and municipality levels to evaluate the availability and quality of rural housing in Indiana. The expectation was that the Purdue team’s outcomes would guide state, county, and local leaders and organizations to use gathered information in their communities to address current housing issues.
The team members employed a multi-pronged process for securing housing-related information on different geographical levels. Information was gathered via three replicable approaches: rigorous secondary data analysis, primary data collection using an online housing survey and confidential focus group/online session discussions, and strategy planning.
Comprehensive housing data profiles include information on the state, county, and municipality housing stock, type of housing, physical housing characteristics, household characteristics, mortgage/rental costs, occupancy/vacancy status, and more.
A participatory process via surveys, focus groups, online sessions, and key informant interviews ensured that stakeholder input complements the secondary data analysis. Focus group meetings and online listening sessions were held with community members to obtain their insights on housing issues in their counties. Housing online surveys were targeted to the county’s residents and employees of key businesses and industries in the region.
The Purdue team synthesized the various sources of information collected and prepared an executive summary of major findings and possible strategies the region may consider in their innovative housing development programs and strategies.
Moreover, the Purdue team hosted housing summits to disseminate the final report and results. Those summits aimed to bring together the implementation teams from searched municipalities to create the process of crafting action plans addressing housing issues at the county and municipality level. The combination of local leaders and state and federal-level agencies (such as USDA-Rural Development, the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority, the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs, and Pathfinder HomeOwnership Center), undergirded by rigorous research, provided a unique opportunity for learning, deliberation, and planning.
In response to a request by the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs, the Purdue Center for Regional Development was asked to take a brief examination of national, state, and local housing programs and/or policies that are intended to improve the availability and quality of rural housing. This includes programs that promote the growth of market-rate housing – residential and rental housing – that is priced at current market rates and are not subsidized in any way.
The final report briefly showcases a mix of federal housing programs and policies, especially those intended to address housing issues in rural areas of the U.S. It also highlights state housing programs/policies found in the nation’s 50 states. This information can be of value to the state and local leaders and organizations as they seek to assess innovative housing development programs being implemented in various states. The team also reviewed several programs enacted by the city and county governments designed to encourage the expansion of market-rate housing, particularly in areas experiencing housing shortages.
The second portion of the report provides the results of a series of focus group meetings held in seven rural communities/counties in the spring of 2016. The purpose of these sessions was to garner people’s input with a good understanding of housing issues in their respective communities or county. The report profiles each study site and outlines the key housing issues and challenges existing in the community/county. The concluding section offers a synopsis of the underlying themes emerging from the seven sites.
An Examination of Rural Housing Development Programs, Issues, and Strategies:
View Report (PDF)
The 2018 American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) Age-Friendly Survey of Fort Wayne, Indiana, was written and approved by AARP Indiana. Purdue Extension conducted the survey using a combination of online and paper formats. The online survey was conducted using Qualtrics. The paper survey was a replica of the online survey, with all necessary skip logic statements written into the directions. The survey and marketing materials were available in English and Spanish. The survey was publicly available from November 1, 2018, to December 15, 2018, and only people who confirmed that they were 45 years old or older were allowed to complete it.
Given the chosen formats of the survey, and the target population of people 45 years old or older living in the Greater Fort Wayne Area (comprised of the City of Fort Wayne along with the remainder of Allen County and all of the adjacent counties (Adams, DeKalb, Huntington, Noble, Wells, and Whitley), Purdue Extension and AARP used their local, regional and statewide networks to market the survey links and provide opportunities for paper surveys to be completed.
AARP Fort Wayne Portrait (PDF)
Noble County is actively involved in several in-depth planning activities, including developing a new, county-wide comprehensive plan and participation in the Hometown Collaboration Initiative by the county seat, Albion. In support of these efforts, and in light of the preliminary evidence that has been gathered by local decision-makers and their partners, housing has surfaced as a key constraint to address and opportunity to foster economic and community development in Noble County.
The Purdue Center for Regional Development and the Purdue Extension Community Development Program conducted multi-pronged research to secure county-level, housing-related information, along with supporting information from a subset of communities located in Noble County.
The work led by the Purdue team in partnership with Noble County includes:
Noble County Housing Summary (PDF)
Blackford County is actively involved in several housing activities, reflecting that its population is not growing. Based on this demographic trend and the latest housing study ‘Blackford County Housing Needs Assessment’ completed for the county in 2004 by Indiana Coalition on Housing and Homeless Issues, resources have been directed towards (a) the revitalization of older neighborhoods than to the development of new residential areas, (b) funding to aid homeowners in the rehabilitation of owner-occupied homes, (c) development of a licensing system via a landlord ordinance to establish minimum standards by which to operate a rental housing unit, (d) elimination of blighted residential structures, (e) and evaluation of needs for homeless/transitional housing.
As housing represents a key aspect in economic and community development in Blackford County, the Purdue Extension Community Development Program conducted research to determine housing demand and needs on the county and municipality level.
The work led by the Purdue team in partnership with Blackford County includes:
Housing Data Profiles of Blackford County, Hartford City, and Montpelier, and Online Listening Session Report are available upon request. Please contact Zuzana Bednarikova, zbednari@purdue.edu.
American Association of Retired Persons (AARP)
https://www.aarp.org/
Indiana Office of Community & Rural Affairs (OCRA)
https://www.in.gov/ocra/
USDA Rural Development, Single Family Housing Programs
https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/all-programs/single-family-housing-programs
USDA Rural Development, Multi-Family Housing Programs
https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/all-programs/multi-family-housing-programs
Indiana Housing & Community Development Authority (IHCDA)
https://www.in.gov/ihcda/
Pathfinder HomeOwnership Center
https://pathfinderservices.org/home-ownership/
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Bo Beaulieu |
Professor of Rural & Regional Development |
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Zuzana Bednarikova |
Research and Extension Specialist |
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Benjamin Germain |
GIS Technician |
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Melinda Grismer |
Community & Regional Development Specialist |
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Tanya Hall |
Regional Educator |
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Indraneel Kumar |
Principal Regional Planner |
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Heather Strohm |
Regional Educator |
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Michael Wilcox |
Assistant Director and Program Leader |
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Maria Wiltse |
Program Evaluation and Measurement Specialist |
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Annie Wong |
Undergraduate Student at Purdue University Honors College |
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Tyler Wright |
Web designer and developer |
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Andrey Zhalnin |
GIS & Data Analyst |
