NLIHC state partner Prosperity Indiana participated on August 7 in a roundtable discussion in Fort Wayne, IN, on the city’s affordable housing crisis and high rate of evictions—the thirteenth highest among the nation’s large cities. The roundtable featured local housing affordability stakeholders; Prosperity Indiana Executive Director Jessica Love; Dr. Matthew Desmond, author of the New York Times-bestselling and Pulitzer Prize-winning book Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City; and U.S. Senator Todd Young (R-IN).
Senator Young spoke about legislation he has introduced to form a bipartisan task force to address the intersectional nature of the nation’s housing affordability crisis, and he noted the return on investment that is achieved by providing affordable housing. “Getting people into safe and stable housing saves on health care and education expenses and public safety and corrections,” he said.
Matt Desmond talked about the nature of the eviction epidemic across the country. “There are more eviction filings in America every single year than there were foreclosure filings at the height of the [financial] crisis [in 2007 and 2008],” Dr. Desmond said. He noted that reducing evictions would lead to greater stability not just for the families involved but also for communities and our nation as a whole.
Ms. Love emphasized the need for much greater public and private investments for deeply affordable housing and increased collaboration among stakeholders.