IHCDA COVID-19 update: A message from Jake
 Earlier this week, I provided an update at Governor Eric Holcomb’s weekly COVID-19 press conference about the Indiana Emergency Rental Assistance (IERA) program. One thing I wanted to focus on in my note today, and that I covered in my update Wednesday, is the eligibility requirements for this new program.
An “eligible household” under the IERA program, as defined by the U.S. Department of Treasury, is a renter household in which at least one or more individuals meet the following criteria:
- Qualifies for unemployment or has experienced a reduction in household income, incurred significant costs, or experienced a financial hardship due to COVID-19
- Demonstrates a risk of experiencing homelessness or housing instability
- Has a household income at or below 80 percent of the area median
Informational documents about the program and a link to apply can be found at www.indianahousingnow.org.
We have also partnered with Indiana 2-1-1 to assist households unable to complete the application online. After being asked to enter your zip code, individuals calling 2-1-1 can select option 3 to speak with someone about the IERA program.
Speaking of zip codes, as a reminder, renters living in Elkhart, Hamilton, Lake, Marion, and St. Joseph counties, along with the City of Fort Wayne will need to apply through their local Emergency Rental Assistance program. Referral information can be found below:
I would like to shift gears for just a moment and talk to you about a subject that is near and dear to many of us, and that is honoring our veterans and those actively serving in our military. Recently, we caught up with Kathy Norem who led a CreatINg Places program campaign for the Starke County Veterans Memorial last year. Here is the update she provided:
"The folks here have been so thrilled with this plaza. Although I knew people would be happy with it, I could not have imagined how much it seems to mean to folks here. Vets are still approaching me to thank me for what was done. I work a couple days a week in our COVID-19 vaccine clinic (which is held one block away from the Plaza) and we get many folks from out of town. It never fails that someone from out of town mentions how beautiful that plaza is and they had no idea Knox had so many nice amenities. It will be a source of pride for this community for years to come!”
Kathy and the Starke County Park Board had the goal to raise $50,000. Thanks to support from more than 150 donors, they raised $65,700 for the memorial. IHCDA matched their initial goal of $50,000.
Construction of the memorial plaza, located on the southeast corner of the Starke County Courthouse square at Washington and Pearl Streets in Knox, finished last fall. To celebrate, an event was held in November of last year. A video of the program can be found here.
Since the CreatINg Places program started 5 years ago, we have had more than 100 successful campaigns. Please click here to find out more about the program.
I encourage you to still reach out to me or any member of the IHCDA team if we can do anything to help you and your organization. We are #INthistogether.
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 J. Jacob Sipe
Executive Director
 
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