Indianapolis has a severe shortage of housing for our low and moderate income residents. For many working families, seniors and others, a safe and decent place to live remains out of reach. A minimum wage employee would have to work 101 hours a week to be able to afford a fair market rent, two bedroom apartment in our city.

The Marion County Housing Trust Fund was established in 2000 by the Indiana General Assembly to make housing affordable to low and moderate income families and individuals. While the Marion County Housing Trust Fund has relied in recent years upon discretionary funding to help stabilize low and moderate income residents, a trust fund requires at least one dedicated revenue source to be fully effective. The time is now to find a reliable source of revenue for the Marion County Housing Trust Fund, to assist working families and other neighbors and at the same time benefit the whole community.

We invite you to join the Friends of the Housing Trust Fund alliance to help put “A Home Within Reach” for many of our neighbors. The Friends of the Housing Trust Fund will encourage elected officials in our community to identify resources that could assist local efforts to make existing rental housing units more affordable to those on fixed or meager incomes.

To learn more about A Home Within Reach, to sign up as a Friend of the Housing Trust Fund, and to identify other ways you can help, please visit www.AHomeWithinReach.org today.