neighborhoods | Fort Wayne Media Collaborative

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...

Home Free: How the Forty Percent Live

by Gabi Lorino | May 1, 2024

Fort Wayne homeowner Kate was surprised to discover how she felt when she made the last mortgage payment on her home. “I thought the day I paid off the house would be the best day ever, but it is really the next month, when you don’t have to make that payment and you suddenly realize how much money you have to spend on something else.” At first she devoted her extra money to fixing up her house, but once those tasks were done, her options expanded. “Now we have money to go on vacations and relax and look toward retirement with less stress. My husband says that this house is our guarantee that we won’t have to eat cat food,” she joked. Their home has nearly tripled in value since they purchased it in 1996. She recommended making a full commitment to the home and its location to make...

2024 CANDIDATE FORUMS FOR DEMOCRATIC AND REPUBLICAN PRIMARY ELECTIONS

by Brianna Datta-Barrow | Mar 29, 2024

Join us for an insightful series of Candidate Forums where you can hear directly from the contenders vying for your vote in the upcoming Indiana 2024 Primary Election. This is your chance to engage with the candidates, understand their perspectives, and make informed decisions on Election Day. Both forums will feature candidates from their respective parties, presenting their platforms, discussing key issues, and answering questions from the audience. It's an excellent opportunity for you to learn more about the individuals who could potentially represent you in important positions of leadership. Remember, your voice matters, and your vote counts! To reserve a spot for these events, register at: Democratic Party forum: https://www.eventbrite.com/.../3rd-district-congressional......

Estate Planning Made Simple: Name a Beneficiary for Your House

by Gabi Lorino | Mar 15, 2024

Estate planning can be a slog, but some shortcuts cut down on stress and expenses for beneficiaries. One way to streamline the transfer of property is to establish a Transfer on Death (TOD) Deed for Hoosier homes. Similar to a Lady Bird Deed, which is available in Michigan, Vermont, Texas, West Virginia, and Florida, a TOD Deed allows an Indiana property owner to designate a beneficiary to inherit the property after the owner’s death. Having a TOD Deed in place means that the property skips the probate process, which can delay the transfer of ownership. Meanwhile, the owner holds the rights to the property exclusively until death. Allen County Recorder Nicole Keesling talked about TOD Deeds in a recent interview, starting with the process of registering a TOD Deed with Allen...

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...

Indiana Cooperative Development Center How Cooperatives Work

by Gabi Lorino | Jan 4, 2024

https://youtu.be/yCoCn7qetJM Child care. Housing. Businesses. Agriculture. Energy. Food. These are some needs that can be met-and maximized-through the cooperative model. In this video, Deb Trocha of the Indiana Cooperative Development Center shares the costs and benefits of setting up businesses in the cooperative model. Cooperatives are owned by the people who use them and benefit from them, which excludes investors and third parties. The Fort Wayne Media Collaborative concentrates its reporting on housing, with a goal of empowering people to figure out their best solutions to the ongoing problem of housing affordability. Find out more about cooperatives and how to start a corporation for a new housing cooperative, or a co-op of any kind, at our website, fwmediacollaborative.com.

KHEPRW Goals for Indianapolis Community Land Trust

by Brianna Datta-Barrow | Dec 6, 2023

https://youtu.be/6XO8zWrwZZM Kheprw is a nonprofit organization based in Indianapolis that’s taking an active role in creating affordable housing options for residents by starting a Community Land Trust there. Their strategy is to develop community leaders who can move their CLT project forward and help address some of the inequalities in wealth that have influenced who can afford housing and who cannot. With Indianapolis’ eviction rate soaring to #8 in the US according to the latest numbers out of evictionlab.org, this type of strategic thinking on the part of nonprofits is needed to help provide residents with affordable, long-term housing solutions. A conversation with Alvin Sangsuwangul and Gabi Lorino. For more information, visit kheprw.org For more information, visit...

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