Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett has announced $5.86 million in funding for ten proposals selected for the Vacant to Vibrant program, which aims to convert City-owned vacant property into affordable housing.
The funds will support the creation of 49 homes for rental, homeownership and lease-to-purchase opportunities. The program streamlines the development process by pairing property sales with local and federal funding.
Hogsett hopes to increase the supply of quality housing that is sustainable, accessible and affordable for all to enhance and preserve diverse neighborhoods.
“The goal of Vacant to Vibrant is to transform vacant City-owned property into affordable housing that will enhance economic opportunity for Indianapolis families and strengthen neighborhood quality of life,” said Hogsett. “At a time when housing availability is limited across Indianapolis neighborhoods, our comprehensive strategy is to leverage every tool and resource to create more pathways for residents to access quality affordable housing. Vacant to Vibrant streamlines the development process by directly pairing property sales with local and federal funding. We look forward to working with our community development partners to turn the vision of Vacant to Vibrant into a reality.”
Under the Vacant to Vibrant program, the City of Indianapolis Department of Metropolitan Development awarded $5.86 million across ten proposals, supporting the creation of 49 homes for rental, homeownership and lease-to-purchase opportunities.
The proposals include projects such as Englewood Community Development Corporation’s Temple Avenue Townhomes & Exodus Refugee Affordable Housing, which was awarded $1,073,227 for the creation of 10 affordable units, and the Flanner House Homeownership project, which will partner with Volumod to develop six new modular homeownership units under zip code 46208, with $600,000.
Martindale Brightwood CDC’s Ralston Hill Phase One project received $937,113 to develop eight new construction townhomes; Martindale Brightwood CDC in partnership with Brown Property Development partnership received $300,000 to construct two homeownership opportunities at 1967 Hovey & 1613 E. 20th Street.
The Southeast Neighborhood Development Inc.’s submission will utilize $953,616 in ARPA funds to create six total affordable units, and the Westside Community Development Corporation’s Near West Horizon Project was awarded $300,000 to construct two affordable homeownership units on the Near Westside.
The Edna Martin Christian Center’s proposal received $263,590 to update three properties focused on affordable homeownership for households between 50% and 60% AMI, and the Indianapolis Neighborhood Housing Partnership’s Bungalow Pilot program will utilize $282,086 funds for the rehabilitation of two units of affordable homeownership for households below 80% AMI.
INHP’s second project, Bridge to Homeownership, received $663,678 to create six units of lease-to-purchase housing across Marion County, while Intend Indiana’s Affordable HomeMatters received $488,000 to produce four new affordable homeownership opportunities in the Riverside Neighborhood along the Udell St. corridor.
Hogsett launched the Vacant to Vibrant program in January 2023 as part of the administration’s affordable housing strategy, which is supported by the pairing of under-utilized property from the City’s land bank and funding from American Rescue Plan and Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds.
In 2021, the City-County Council voted unanimously to allocate over $20 million in federal American Rescue Plan funding for the creation and preservation of affordable housing. Also in 2021, Hogsett worked with the City-County Council to amend the zoning code to encourage housing diversity, pedestrian connectivity and better neighborhood design through a transit-oriented development overlay.
In 2022, Hogsett awarded over $8 million to permanent supportive housing developments, spurring the creation of 100 units for individuals and families recently experiencing homelessness. Through public-private partnerships, the Hogsett administration’s economic development resources have deepened the housing pipeline along IndyGo’s Bus Rapid Transit Lines, with more than 3,000 units proposed, in financing or under construction.
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Contact multi-media staff writer Noral Parham III at (317)-762-7846 or via email at noralp@indyrecorder.com. Follow him on Twitter @NoralParham.
