Working families in La Porte County continue to face an impossible choice between paying rent and meeting basic needs, such as food and healthcare. New data confirms what we already know to be true: working full-time at a minimum wage job is not enough to afford housing. In fact, in the recent “Out of Reach 2025 Study by the National Low Income Housing Coalition, we learned that our neighbors need to earn $22.18 per hour just to afford a modest two-bedroom apartment in our state. We also know that La Porte County rents are often slightly higher than the state average.
So what does that mean for our neighbors who work full time, making less than $22.18 per hour, which is a large portion of our working population? Let’s take a deep dive into this.
The Numbers Don’t Lie: Housing is Out of Reach
Here’s the reality facing our neighbors: To afford a basic two-bedroom apartment at fair market rent in Indiana, a full-time worker needs to earn $22.18 per hour. This is what experts refer to as the “Housing Wage,” the minimum hourly income required to spend no more than 30 percent of one’s earnings on rent and utilities.
However, we know that the average renter in Indiana earns just $18.05 per hour, resulting in a gap of over $4 per hour. That might not sound like much, but it translates to real hardship for working families who must choose between keeping a roof over their heads and putting food on the table.
Indiana’s Wage Problem Hits Close to Home
Indiana ranks dead last in the Midwest for renter incomes, with a median household income of just $43,672—nearly $4,000 below the regional average. This means that while housing costs remain typical for our region, Indiana workers earn significantly less than their counterparts in neighboring states.
La Porte County families are caught in this same squeeze, earning Midwest-level wages with housing costs that are above average for the state. This creates a massive issue when it comes to affordable housing in our communities and our state.
The Jobs That Built Our Communities Can’t Afford Our Communities
Perhaps most troubling is what the data reveals about employment in Indiana. Fourteen of the state’s twenty most common occupations pay wages insufficient to afford a modest two-bedroom home. These aren’t just minimum-wage jobs; they include positions that are essential to our community’s functioning:
- Nursing assistants who care for our elderly neighbors and the sick so others can work.
- Retail workers who keep our local economy running
- Restaurant cooks and servers who feed our community
- Janitors and cleaners who maintain our schools and offices
- Customer service representatives who help resolve our daily challenges
These jobs employ over 810,000 Hoosiers statewide, which is 76% of workers in the top 20 occupations. In La Porte County, these are our neighbors, our children’s teachers’ aides, our parents’ caregivers, and the backbone of our local economy, and they are struggling to afford housing in our community.
The Minimum Wage Impossibility
For those earning minimum wage in Indiana, still just $7.25 per hour, the situation is even more dire. A minimum-wage worker would need to work 122 hours per week (essentially three full-time jobs) to afford a two-bedroom apartment. That’s 17 hours every single day, leaving virtually no time for sleep, family, healthcare, or education.
Every Community is Affected
This isn’t just an urban problem or a rural problem; it’s a problem everywhere. The study found that in 90 of Indiana’s 92 counties, the average renter’s wage falls short of what’s needed to afford basic housing. Even in non-metropolitan areas, workers earning the average renter wage of $15.08 can’t meet the two-bedroom housing wage of $18.33.
Why This Matters for La Porte County
When working families can’t afford housing in our community, we all feel the impact:
- Economic instability: Families spending more than 30% of their income on rent have less money to spend at local businesses
- Workforce challenges: Employers struggle to attract and retain workers who can’t afford to live here.
- Educational disruption: Children may face frequent moves and school changes when families chase affordable housing.
- Health impacts: Housing cost burdens force families to skip medical care and medications.
- Community fragmentation: Long-term residents may be forced to leave, breaking social connections and community ties.
The Path Forward
The crisis is urgent, but solutions exist. At the federal level, we need Congress to protect and expand housing assistance programs. Programs like housing vouchers and rental assistance provide critical support for working families. We also advocate for innovative, affordable housing solutions, such as a cooperative model. These models have been very successful in Bloomington and Indianapolis, utilizing large vacant properties to house many at affordable rental rates. The solution is simple: more affordable housing is needed across the state. Housing should be a right, not a privilege.
How You Can Help
For Community Members:
- Support local affordable housing initiatives and zoning reforms.
- Contact your representatives about protecting federal housing programs.
- Volunteer with local housing nonprofits- like ours!
- Advocate for inclusive housing policies in your neighborhood.
For Employers:
- Consider the total cost of living when setting wages.
- Partner with housing organizations to support workforce housing initiatives.
- Advocate for policies that help your employees afford to live in the community where they work.
For Policymakers:
- Support zoning reforms that allow diverse housing types.
- Invest in affordable housing trust funds.
- Preserve existing affordable housing stock and be innovative with affordable housing solutions.
- Remove barriers to developing affordable rental properties.
Our Mission Continues
The data is clear: affordable housing isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity for a functioning community and economy. Every day we delay action, more working families in La Porte County face impossible choices between basic needs.
As we work to develop and build affordable rental properties in our community, we’re not just building housing; we’re building the foundation for economic stability, educational opportunity, and community strength that benefits everyone.
The question isn’t whether we can afford to invest in affordable housing. The question is whether we can afford not to.
