Like many areas across the Midwest, Indiana’s La Porte County has identified a critical need for more workforce and affordable housing. While community leaders have developed a clear vision for addressing that need, turning a strategy into new housing requires the capacity and expertise to move projects forward. Sagamore’s Interurban program is helping bridge that gap, building on several years of collaboration with La Porte County stakeholders around economic inclusion and housing development.

Through the Open Doors to Housing initiative, Interurban is working alongside the Unity Foundation and local partners to translate that vision into action. Led by Senior Fellow Bill Taft, the team is helping advance housing projects in the communities of La Porte and Michigan City while providing the oversight and support needed to keep implementation moving. The work is grounded in local engagement, with residents and stakeholders helping shape projects and inform housing investments and priorities.

Key objectives include:

• Advancing workforce and affordable housing by helping move identified projects from planning toward construction.
• Expanding infill and upper-floor housing and supporting the development of pre-approved house plans.
• Strengthening project implementation by providing oversight, monitoring progress, and helping identify and address challenges.
• Engaging the community so residents and local stakeholders have meaningful input into housing development.
• Building lasting local capacity by strengthening the project pipeline and systems needed to support housing development beyond the current grant period.

The goal is ultimately bigger than any individual housing project. By pairing implementation with community engagement and capacity building, Interurban is helping La Porte County create more attainable housing today while laying the groundwork for continued investment and stronger communities in the future. Interurban is also assisting the City of LaPorte and the LaPorte Economic Advancement Partnership in implementing its recent READI 2.0 grant aimed at improving the number and quality of homes adjacent to its downtown. The LaPorte Health Foundation supports these efforts, which will go toward building new homes, renovating existing residences, and establishing a local development non-profit to carry the work forward.