Our Current State
From 2017 to 2022, businesses added almost 17,500 jobs in Hamilton County – an increase of more than 10 percent. National job growth during the same period was just 2.4 percent, according to Invest Hamilton County.
From 2010 to 2022, Hamilton County’s population grew by 30%, to 356,650 people, according to Census Bureau data.
Challenges
Housing production has failed to keep pace with the growing population, creating an imbalance between supply and demand. Results include rapidly rising home values, lack of supply and unaffordable conditions for many Hamilton County employees to live in the same county in which they work. Given current funding and construction trends, it will take about 286 years to meet the current demand for income-based housing in Hamilton County. (Green Street 2022 Housing Study)
Solutions
Hamilton County Area Neighborhood Development, Inc. (HAND) —a not-for-profit community housing development organization and a Hamilton County Community Foundation partner—is developing a community in Fishers that includes 11 two- and three-bedroom rental cottages and a community garden. With support from both the foundation and investment from IMPACT Central Indiana, this development will address the housing needs of low-income and moderate-income individuals, families and senior citizens in Hamilton County.
It is crucial to educate others about the need for attainable options in every community. Hamilton County decision-makers need to hear from those who support attainable housing. The most vocal residents are often not the majority. By informing neighbors who are opposed to developments “in their backyard”, we can dispel standard misconceptions with facts. Housing values do not decrease. Crime does not increase. Communities with a full continuum of housing options are more resilient than those with less diversity.
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