Senate Enrolled Act 148 prevents all local governments from regulating any aspect of landlord-tenant relationships and blocks tenant protections that the city of Indianapolis had put in place last spring.
The state of Indiana is preparing to launch a new rental and utility assistance program after receiving an additional $372 million in federal funding for that purpose.
If it becomes law, Senate Enrolled Act 148 would prevent all local governments from regulating any aspect of landlord-tenant relationships and would block tenant protections that the city of Indianapolis had put in place last spring.
Senate Enrolled Act 148 would have prevented all local governments from regulating any aspect of landlord-tenant relationships and would have blocked tenant protections that the city of Indianapolis had put in place last spring.
The program, which opened in July to help tenants avoid eviction during the pandemic, has provided more than $26 million in federal money to more than 12,000 households.
Airbnb has taken a series of steps to crack down on parties since last year’s deadly shooting at an Airbnb in Orinda, California. Five people were killed in the shooting, which happened during an unauthorized Halloween party.
The $40 million program provides up to $500 a week for up to four weeks to renters whose income is lower than it was on March 6 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the Census Bureau, about a third of renters said in July that they had no confidence or slight confidence in their ability to pay for housing in August.
The number of applications is more than triple what the state expected last month when it rolled out the program, which provides up to $500 in assistance a week for up to four weeks.
Residents whose income has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic are eligible to receive up to three months of assistance, which will be paid directly to their landlord.
Housing advocates are warning of a tidal wave of evictions in the state this summer unless an effort is coordinated to head it off.
The $25 million program, funded through federal aid the state received through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, will provide assistance of $500 per month for up to four months. The state expects the program to help about 12,000 households.
The Indianapolis City-County Council is scheduled to meet at 7 p.m. Monday night to consider the proposal.
Advocates agree that the federal and state moratoriums are helpful, but say renters will need more help long term. Even one missed rent payment can put low-income residents so far behind they can’t recover.
The governor’s decision to block the bill from becoming law allows tenant protections the city of Indianapolis recently put in place to remain in force.
The provision emerged at the Statehouse last month as a last-minute attempt to block the Indianapolis City-County Council from implementing two ordinances designed to protect tenants from predatory landlords.
Under Hogsett’s proposed initiative, $250,000 of new funding would be allocated toward increasing resources for tenants. The city will work in partnership with Indiana Legal Services to provide free civil legal assistance to eligible low-income residents.
Marion County has a much higher percentage of households than the rest of the state that rent their homes instead of owning them, according to a report issued this week by the Indiana University Public Policy Institute.
MacAllister Machinery’s current operations along West Washington Street span about 6.5 acres, with the purchase of the Kmart parcel next door adding another 8 acres.
Apartment rent is on the rise in Indianapolis, thanks in large part to the area’s boom in new multifamily developments—and updates to old ones.
