Policy Priorities | Housing4Hoosiers

The Hoosier Housing Needs Coalition has released its 2022 Housing Stability Policy Priorities.

As the COVID-19 pandemic moves into its third year, housing continues to be the top unmet need among Hoosiers across rural, suburban, and urban communities. Indiana must enact an ‘All of Government’ approach that unites administrative policy, judicial actions, and legislation to prevent additional evictions and foreclosures.

Federal Priorities

We endorse the ‘HoUSed’ campaign’s federal priorities to bridge the gap between incomes and housing costs by expanding rental assistance to every eligible household; expand and preserve the supply of rental homes affordable and accessible to people with the lowest incomes; create a national housing stabilization fund; and strengthen and enforce renter protections.

State Administrative Priorities

Ensure equitable, coordinated implementation of all federal and state housing recovery funds so they are visible, accessible, and preventative for the Hoosier tenants, housing providers, and communities who need them most. Strengthen local and state EmergencyRental Assistance programs and investments in community partnerships for effective outcomes.
Support transparent use of housing data in policymaking by adopting a housing stability dashboard that includes eviction, foreclosure, and demographic data on the communities affected most by housing instability.

State Legislative Priorities

Create an eviction expungement process to prevent the ‘Scarlet E’ that can follow tenants for years, even when the eviction file never goes to court or a ruling is in the tenant’s favor.
Provide a right for tenants to see their tenant screening records for those who are denied housing to remedy and rectify inaccurate information.

Promote Effective Practices for Long-Term Solutions

Support Indiana’s eviction diversion programs and problem-solving housing courts to scale effective remedies and ensure program benefits for tenants and landlords statewide.
Explore solutions to Indiana’s long-term housing stability and habitability crisis, including what’s worked in courtrooms and other states to prohibit housing discrimination and prevent habitability violations through options including escrow of rent, ‘repair and deduct’, and ‘pay to stay’ provisions.