Fort Wayne Locals Agree: Housing Prices are Too High

by Gabi Lorino | Mar 28, 2025

Part 1: The Rents are Too Damn High! Renting hasn’t been easy for Fort Wayne resident Abby, who has moved on from an apartment that felt like anything but a luxury even though “Luxury” was part of its name. “What kind of ‘luxury apartment’ has one working elevator 80% of the time and makes you go to the basement and pay to do your own laundry, with washers and dryers that also are not working 80% of the time? Then raise our rent anyway! Every year, wherever I lived, they raised the rent. Nothing in the apartment changed, but they always added a hundred to two hundred dollars.” Another resident, Taylor, was lucky enough to buy a home in recent years, but her family members have to live further away because of high rent. She said, “The rent around Fort Wayne is way too expensive for...

The Collaborative Corner | Rachel Blakeman

by Brianna Datta-Barrow | Jul 12, 2024

https://youtu.be/0c9D5O_gZcs Our latest episode of "The Collaborative Corner" features an insightful conversation with Rachel Blakeman, Director of the Community Research Institute (CRI) at Purdue University Fort Wayne. Learn about CRI's efforts to broaden its research scope beyond economic, workforce, and population data. This is a must-listen for anyone interested in community research and development. The Collaborative Corner is a production of the Fort Wayne Media Collaborative with the goal of connecting listeners to the stories and culture of Northeast Indiana. Hosted by WBOI Program Manager, Zach Bernard, and Digital Media Manager for the Fort Wayne Media Collaborative, Brianna Datta-Barrow. Produced by Brianna Datta-Barrow. Thank you to Fort Wayne Media Collaborative Program...

Full House: Generations of Families Share Homes and Lives

by Gabi Lorino | Jun 13, 2024

What happens when the adult kids come home to ride out the Covid lockdown and then settle in? Where can Mom or Dad go when they can’t live on their own anymore? Oftentimes, to conserve money and other resources, adult family members consolidate into one household. Due to the sharp jump in housing prices in Northeast Indiana and elsewhere within the past few years, this trend is increasing. According to the 2020 census, 7.2% of US homes were multigenerational. These homes were most common in the southern US and across the eastern seaboard as well as in Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico. By this measure, Indiana was only slightly below the national average, with the share of multigenerational households in most counties between four and seven percent. Similar trends were noted for children...

Fort Wayne’s first Innovative Housing Showcase seeks to fill gaps in the local market

by Kara Hackett | May 9, 2024

As an architect from Detroit, Rena Bradley noticed Fort Wayne was lacking diverse housing styles when she moved here in 2015. At the time, she was working for Bridge of Grace Compassionate Ministries on the city’s Southeast side, addressing challenges in the neighborhood, like a housing shortage and a surplus of smaller, empty lots. Bradley thought that if she could bring a concept, like shipping container homes, to Fort Wayne it could benefit families and the city alike, giving residents an attainable path to homeownership and reactivating vacant lots too small for traditional housing. As an added bonus: It would give her more interesting homes to choose from, too. “I wanted to bring the type of housing to our community that I myself wanted to live in,” Bradley says. “Something...

Mobile Home Living in Fort Wayne: Get Grounded on the Rules, Rights, and Regulations

by Gabi Lorino | May 8, 2024

Roiann Smolinski of Fort Wayne lived in a mobile home with her family about 40 years ago, and remembers it well. “We had a small court, maybe only 30 homes, in a convenient location close to work. The court got plowed out early from snow. We had three bedrooms and two baths, and a nice sized kitchen. It served our purpose for living, until we bought a house six years later. My dad lived in the same court, so that was a bonus.” Smolinski also noted a few drawbacks, such as no access to covered or reserved parking spaces. Smolinski paid $135 for the home plus $190 for lot rent per month, which included landscaping and snow plowing but not utilities. Despite the arctic chills that visit Fort Wayne each winter, their mobile home stayed cozy. “We didn't have any trouble with...

Renting in Cool Blue Illinois: Protections, Freedoms, and Support

by Gabi Lorino | Feb 1, 2024

What a difference a border makes! Illinois, known for its Democratic leanings in the heart of the more Republican Midwest, has set up some of its laws to protect both renters and landlords. However, with an increasing demand for affordable housing, Illinois’ housing market continues to be competitive and expensive. Illinois Rules and Laws Protections for landlords and tenants start with the laws that govern them. Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul’s office publishes the “Landlord and Tenant Rights and Laws” to help navigate these roles. According to the AG, some protections that Illinois renters have are: They can ask that necessary repairs be made, and use this as a viable defense against eviction if they withhold a portion of their rent when the landlord has not paid for the...

Time for Change in Michigan, Legislature to Protect Renters Being Worked On

by Dezaray Clawson | Jan 22, 2024

Nearly 20% of Michigan renters will face the threat of eviction this year. In a state with over 1 million renters, this leaves about 200,000 citizens at risk of losing their homes. But there is legislation in the works to try to solve this. Michigan RentersInfogram In 2022, Ann Arbor, a city where over half the households are renters, passed Section 8:531 of the housing code, the right to renew. This law requires Ann Arbor landlords make a “good faith” offer to renew a lease 180 days before a tenant’s lease is up. Relocation is expensive and time consuming. Apartment hunting, packing, cleaning, along with security deposits and first- and last-month rent payments add up fast. If a tenant is offered an opportunity to renew, this can save them from being placed farther back...

Housing Crisis: A Growing Problem in Central Ohio

by Lindsay Burke | Jan 18, 2024

As housing costs continue to increase across the nation, so does the stress on lower income and middle-class families in Columbus, Ohio. The problem? Too many residents, not enough affordable places to live. A recent report found over half of homeowners in Central Ohio are spending most of their income on housing costs. To be considered affordable, housing expenses should represent no more than 30% of a household’s income, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Carlie Boos, executive director of the Affordable Housing Alliance of Central Ohio, says the area’s housing supply is struggling to keep pace with the population. This very underbuilding of housing is one of the key drivers of housing costs. As of August 2023, Columbus home prices were...

Renting in the State of Kentucky

by Ireland Miller | Jan 17, 2024

Andrea Zang hopes for a world where there are no limits to who can access sustainable and truly affordable housing. “It’s a rent crisis,” said Zang, a Kentucky resident, member of KY Tenants and a leader with the Homes Guarantee campaign. “People are making decisions to not buy food, to not buy medical care because they have to make rent.” Homes Guarantee is led by tenants and aims to ensure everyone has the ability to find comfortable, safe, and affordable places to live. Over 250 tenant-led organizations have contributed to this cause and are working to meet with White House officials. According to data from InvestFourMore, a blog started by Colorado landlord and real estate agent Mark Ferguson, Kentucky is the second-most landlord-friendly state in the U.S. with a ranking...

3 Fountains Cooperative with Board President Lynda Rogers

by Gabi Lorino | Jan 4, 2024

https://youtu.be/bfT1e6LF5NY Living in a cooperative makes you part of a community, because everyone there owns a share of the building or the property. Cooperative living can create opportunities for those who earn a living but cannot afford, or do not wish to live in, market-rate housing. Shareowners share in the risks and the rewards of living in a cooperative, so it isn’t like leasing an apartment. If you plan to live in an area for a few years, you may want to invest in a cooperative there!

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Fort Wayne Locals Agree: Housing Prices are Too High

Mar 28, 2025

How Does PFW’s New Student Housing Fit Into Purdue’s Master Plan and Student’s Needs?

Dec 4, 2024

On October 29th, Purdue Fort Wayne broke ground on their newest student housing option - a 600-bed, 213,000-square-foot apartment building by Ginsberg Hall on the North Campus. The $90 to $100 million project is being constructed in partnership with Gilbane...

The Collaborative Corner | Christi & Amanda Hille

Oct 2, 2024

https://youtu.be/x6l437kZhq8 In this episode, we're diving into the vibrant film culture of Fort Wayne with Christy and Amanda Hilly from Cinema Center. As board president and secretary, they’re also festival chairs for the Hobnobben Film Festival happening October...