INDIANAPOLIS – Prosperity Indiana, the statewide association for community economic development, has released its 2027 Policy Agenda, outlining policy priorities designed to strengthen housing opportunity, economic mobility, community development, and nonprofit capacity across Indiana. The agenda reflects feedback from Prosperity Indiana’s statewide membership and comes as Indiana prepares for a new legislative session shaped by significant turnover in the Indiana General Assembly.
Titled “Investing in Indiana’s People & Places and Supporting Those Who Serve Hoosiers,” the 2027 Policy Agenda calls on state and federal policymakers to advance practical investments that expand opportunity for low- and moderate-income Hoosiers while strengthening the organizations and communities that serve them.
The release follows years of growing concern among community development practitioners regarding housing affordability, rising operating costs, threats to critical public investments, and barriers to economic mobility. Prosperity Indiana members identified affordable housing, community development finance, consumer protections, childcare, and nonprofit sustainability as their highest priorities for public policy action in 2027.
“Indiana’s affordability challenges did not disappear with the election cycle,” said Aspen Clemons, Executive Director of Prosperity Indiana. “However, every election creates an opportunity for new partnerships, new conversations, and renewed momentum. With many newly elected legislators and members of Congress preparing to take office, now is the time to advance bipartisan solutions that strengthen communities, expand housing opportunity, and help working families succeed.”
The 2027 agenda was guided by Prosperity Indiana’s annual member policy survey and prioritizes policies that leverage state, federal, local, nonprofit, and private-sector resources to strengthen communities across Indiana. Key recommendations include:
Produce, Preserve, and Protect Affordable Homes
- Increase state investments supporting affordable housing development and preservation through an expanded state Housing Trust Fund.
- Expand Indiana’s Affordable and Workforce Housing Tax Credit.
- Establish a statewide Whole Home Repair Program.
- Strengthen tenant protections, homelessness response resources, and fair housing enforcement.
- Reform tax sale policies and support land banks that return vacant and abandoned properties to productive use.
Invest in Community Development Resources
- Protect and expand funding streams relied upon by community development and nonprofit organizations.
- Strengthen access to federal and state community development programs, including HOME, CDBG, LIHTC, CDFI, and New Markets Tax Credit resources.
- Support community land trusts, neighborhood revitalization efforts, and nonprofit-public-private partnerships.
Expand Economic Opportunity and Consumer Protections
- Advance asset-building and wealth-building initiatives.
- Expand childcare assistance and workforce participation supports.
- Protect households from predatory lending and other wealth-stripping financial products.
- Support foreclosure prevention, homeownership, and financial capability programs.
Address Members’ Urgent and Emerging Priorities
The agenda also encourages policymakers to protect investments in housing, childcare, healthcare access, workforce participation, homelessness response, and community development while strengthening consumer protections and ensuring major economic development projects deliver meaningful community benefits.
The timing of the 2027 agenda coincides with what many observers expect to be one of the most significant periods of transition in Indiana policymaking in recent years. Newly elected legislators and members of Congress will confront decisions about state and federal budget and policy priorities critical to the prospects of Hoosier families, communities, and the organizations who serve them.
Prosperity Indiana believes these changes create an opportunity to build relationships with new policymakers and advance solutions that have broad support among communities, local governments, employers, housing providers, lenders, service organizations, and residents.
“Regardless of party or geography, communities across Indiana are facing many of the same challenges,” Clemons said. “Families need housing they can afford. Employers need workers who can afford to live in the communities where jobs are being created. Nonprofit organizations need stable resources to continue serving Hoosiers. The 2027 Policy Agenda offers practical recommendations that can help address each of these challenges.”
Leading up to the 2027 legislative session, Prosperity Indiana will engage policymakers, community leaders, members, and partners across the state in its annual Policy & Pizza Regional Legislator Meeting series to discuss the recommendations included in the agenda and identify opportunities for collaboration during the 2027 legislative session and the 120th U.S. Congress. Members are encouraged to register and to personally invite new and returning legislators to attend.
The full 2027 Policy Agenda is available at prosperityindiana.org/Policy-Priorities
