The Community Forum for Economic Justice understands that safe and accessible housing is a basic human right and that housing that requires more than 30% of a family’s income is not accessible for any family. Housing tainted by lead, mold, or other health hazards, or lacking basic human needs, such as reliable heat and water, is not safe housing. We collaborate with other organizations and individuals to understand the housing needs of our community, advocate for needed policies and practices that could meet those needs, and support projects and organizations that support our neighbors who are unhoused, facing eviction, or experiencing unsafe living conditions.
NEXT MEETING: WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4, 2026 at 6 PM.
NEAR NORTHWEST COMMUNITY CENTER
1007 PORTAGE AVENUE, SOUTH BEND
MEETING FOCUS: South Bend’s Rental Safety Verification Program (RSVP), which monitors the health and safety of rental properties by requiring proof that rental properties are kept in safe and sanitary conditions.
The program will begin with a presentation by Emily Bastien, the Director of Neighborhood Health & Housing for the city of South Bend. She will share important information about the purpose and process of the program.
Following her presentation there will be an opportunity for questions and comments by those in attendance. We welcome your participation, whether you are a renter, a housing provider, or a community member who shares our concern for safe and accessible housing for all members of our community.
Program sponsor: Community Forum for Economic Justice. We understand that safe and accessible housing is a basic human right and that housing that requires more than 30% of a family’s income is not accessible for any family. Housing tainted by lead, mold, or other health hazards, or lacking basic human needs such as reliable heat and water is not safe housing.
For a flyer about the event, click here.
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NEXT HHR HOUSING ROUNDTABLE
THURSDAY, JULY 31, 2025
MAIN LIBRARY/COMMUNITY LEARNING CENTER
CLASSROOM D, 6PM – 8PM
We invite you join us for a lively discussion about local housing issues.
Bring your concerns, your experiences & your questions.
Meet others with a common commitment for change & learn how you can help.
At our June roundtable, we learned more about:
The new Indiana law that automatically seals eviction records when cases are dismissed and the upcoming free eviction sealing clinic scheduled for Tuesday, July 15th, from 2 to 4 PM at the Portage Township Trustee Office. for more information, click here.
SBCSC’s McKinney-Vento liaison, Sarah Nowicki, reported that 317 homeless children attended SBCSC schools during the last school year. Of that number, 193 children (61%) were “doubled up,” sharing housing with relatives or others. Eight percent were living in hotels or motels and 13% in homeless shelters. This data was collected from Oct. of 2024 to May of 2025. By the end of that period, none were identified as “unsheltered.”
The New Day Intake Center on Old Cleveland Road. The process of purchasing the property from the City of South Bend was completed on June 12 and construction should begin this summer, while additional funding efforts continue.
Broadway Christian Parish has established a new “homeless advocate” program, funded by a grant from the United Way of Saint Joseph County. For a description of the program by Homeless Advocacy Director Kim Oldenburg, click here.
At the July roundtable, we’ll discuss:
EVICTION SEALING
— The successful Eviction Sealing clinic held last week at the Portage Township Trustee Office
— A new report, A New Lease: The Future of Eviction Sealing in Indiana, by the Indiana Justice Project and the University of Notre Dame clinical Law Center
HEI (HOME EQUITY INVESTMENT)
— A developing threat that is especially targeting “Senior Citizen” Homeowners and can lead to the premature loss of their homes.
AFFORDABLE HOUSING
— The report by Housing4Housiers, Affordable Housing is Out of Reach in Indiana for Low-Wage Hoosiers as State Ranks Last in the Midwest for Renter Incomes, points out that “Full-time Hoosier workers need to earn $22.18 per hour to afford a modest, two-bedroom apartment at Fair Market Rent in Indiana.”
DRASTIC HOUSING CUTS
— Congress is threatening to cut almost $1 billion from HUD’s budget! Here is an analysis and Action Alert from Prosperity Indiana.
OTHER HOUSING ISSUES THAT ARE IMPORTANT TO YOU
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HHR HOUSING ROUNDTABLE
MONDAY, JUNE 16, 2025, 6 -8 PM
CIVIL RIGHTS HERITAGE CENTER
(1040 West Washington, South Bend)
EXPECT: A lively discussion about local housing issues:
Evictions in St. Joseph County,
Homeless children and youth,
The availability of safe & affordable housing,
Services available and needed for our
neighbors who are housing- insecure,
Concern about political & economic changes
that threaten these services.
WE INVITE YOU TO JOIN US FOR THIS DISCUSSION!
Bring your concerns, your experiences & your questions.
Meet others with a common commitment for change.
Learn how you can help.
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April 17, 2025 – HHR HOUSING ROUNDTABLE
6 pm, Community Learning Center of the Main Library, Classroom B.
“Around the table” will be housing activists with information about local activities supporting safe and affordable housing in St. Joseph County. You are invited to Join us! Bring your questions, your concerns, and your personal experiences.
We need your input in developing our goals for the coming months. We also anticipate discussing the impact of the Indiana General Assembly and the Trump Administration on the major focus of HHR activity, local housing issues.
On March 25, Mayor James Mueller delivered the 2025 State of the City at Indiana University South Bend’s Northside Hall. If you were unable to attend the event in person, you can access the content of the Mayor’s presentation on the City of South Bend’s website. (click here)
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NEXT MEETING OF HHR
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2025, 6 PM
NNN COMMUNITY CENTER – – 1007 PORTAGE AVE.
At our January meeting we reviewed some of the housing bills currently before the Indiana General Assembly, especially those that could impact the work that we are doing locally. It was a very informative and lively discussion!
Our next meeting will be on Thursday, February 27th, at 6 pm, at the NNN Community Center, 1007 Portage Avenue.
The agenda for the meeting includes information and discussion on several issues:
- An update on Bills of concern now being considered by the Indiana State Legislature.
- A discussion about the current and potential impact of both State and Federal actions and legislation on organizations that provide critical services to the homeless and housing insecure members of our community.
- What we could see in the future – What does “Project 2025 list as “housing priorities?
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NEXT MEETING: THURSDAY, JAN. 30, 2025. 6 – 8 pm,
COMMUNITY LEARNING CENTER, CLASSROOM B, SJC PUBLIC LIBRARY
TOPIC: HOUSING BILLS BEFORE THE 2025 INDIANA GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Our focus will be on the Bills that may have direct consequences for our local work, including:
HB 1140 ” Eviction assistance grant programs”
SB 142 ” Eviction issues (Automatic sealing)”
HB 1328 ” Landlord-tenant matters”- (Essential services)
SB 467 ” Landlord-tenant matters” (Essential services)
SB 232 “Landlord Nexus”
The full text for each of these bills can be found at https://iga.in.gov/legislative/2025/bills
Since 2022, members of the HHR have been supporting lawyers and their staff who volunteer to provide Housing Clinics and legal advice at Mondays’ Eviction Courts. They are there each Monday with information about programs that support the needs of our neighbors in the process of being evicted.
At the Legal Clinics, and especially at the Housing Clinics, lawyers assist renters who qualify to have their eviction sealed and expunged, resulting in a higher opportunity to obtain another rental home. The renter is required to request that expungement currently. SB 142 would require an automatic expungement if the conditions had been met.
HB 1328, SB 232, and SB232 are all relevant to disastrous examples that have occurred and continue to occur in South Bend. Last year, six children died in a fire at a rental home that had already failed a safety inspection just six months before and once again this year, heat and hot water issues persist at the Cedar Glen Apts.
SB233 = “Landlord Nexus.” What’s a nexus? (nexus: the means of connection between things linked in series.) Many local rental properties and apartment complexes are owned by out of state companies that often do not have a local property manager on staff.”
After a discussion of these and other housing bills being considered by the General Assembly, we will begin planning how we, as Indiana citizens and housing advocates should, — in fact, must — play an active role in supporting or opposing legislation that will not move forward our efforts to achieve safe and accessible housing for all members of our community. Will you join us?
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NEXT MEETING: TUESDAY, OCT.15, 2024, 6-8 PM
Civil Rights Heritage Center
6 to 7 pm: Dr. Marsha Parham-Green, Director of the South Bend Housing Authority
Last August, representatives of the City of South Bend and the South Bend Housing Authority hosted a community meeting to discuss possible redevelopment plans for the shuttered Rabbi Shulman Apartments and the now demolished Monroe Circle public housing sites. SBHA Director Parham-Greene and South Bend Investment Executive Director Caleb Bauer explained that the purpose of the meeting was to explain possible plans for the sites and to receive feedback from the public to decide the next steps.
Director Parham-Green will join us at our October meeting to share an update of this important process.
7 to 8 pm: discussion of Winter Amnesty 2024/25
Presentations by:
Carl Hetler, Homeless Coordinator for the City of South Bend,
Myrnetta Daniel, Chief Residential Officer, Center for the Homeless,
Liz O’Connor, Oaklawn SB Crisis Center Team Leader.
The weather is getting colder and an important concern for all of us who are concerned about the health and welfare of the homeless members of our community is the status of this year’s plan for Winter Amnesty. Last winter we experienced the expansion of services at the Center for the Homeless. Since then, Oaklawn’s behavioral crisis center opened in early March and in May, Carl Hetler was hired by the City of South Bend to serve as our Homeless Coordinator. At our October 15th meeting we will have an opportunity to learn and discuss their plans for this winter’s activities.
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NEXT MEETING: TUESDAY, SEPT. 17, 2024, 6-8 PM
CLASSROOM B, MAIN LIBRARY LEARNING CENTER
Reports & discussion of local housing activity during the summer of 2024.
From 6 to 7 pm: A series of short reports:
1. Meet the new McKinney Vento Liaison for the South Bend Community School Corporation, Sarah Nowicki, who will briefly describe her role in meeting the goals of the McKinney Vento Act: ensuring the enrollment, attendance, and success of homeless children and Youth in public schools.
2. Hear plans for the opening 0f Youth Service Bureau’s new consolidated facility.
3. Do you know the importance of SJC Housing Consortium’s Resident Questionnaire? We’ll find out how to help.
4. What Housing legislation may happen during the 2025 session and how could we begin now to make sure it does?
5. New Site for New Day intake Center! Sheila McCarthy, future director of the Center will join us to discuss the new proposed site of the long- awaited low-barrier homeless intake center. Currently, the City of South Bend is in negotiations with the current owner of 15 acres of land on old Cleveland Road. However, procedural requirements and additional funds are needed to make it a reality.
Second hour: A discussion of the Cedar Glen Apartments Agreement
A panel of housing advocates including Housing activist Judy Fox; Rodney Gaston, President of the South Bend Tenant Association; and Todd Bogunia, President of the Cedar Glen Tenants’ Committee will discuss the details and limitations of the agreement as well as possible future actions by Cedar Glen residents. PLEASE JOIN US FOR THIS IMPORTANT EVENT.
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ON TUESDAY, JUNE 18, 2024, at the Civil Rights Heritage Center, HHR will sponsor three simultaneous meetings to develop projects that support our goal of safe and accessible housing for all members of our community.
1. Current members of the Eviction Team will examine a new data collection method developed by our Indy colleagues as well as share their weekly activities with new volunteers who will be warmly welcomed!
2. At the May HHR meeting we began to learn about the services available for homeless children and young adults.
However, there is much more to learn. This group will develop
a plan for interviews, focus groups and field trips during the next couple of months to deepen our understanding.
3. The third project group will anticipate next year’s efforts to
convince our State and Local policy-makers to make the changes needed to achieve safe and affordable housing for all of us. Even before the legislature is in session, we can join current efforts to persuade Gov. Holcomb the create a commission on housing Safety, Stability and Affordability.
The meetings will start at 6 pm. The Center is located at 1040 Wear Washington Street. HOPE TO SEE YOU THEN & THERE!
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NEXT MEETING: TUESDAY, MAY 21, 2024, 6 PM
CLASSROOM B, MAIN LIBRARY LEARNING CENTER
DISCUSSION TOPIC: CHILDREN WITHOUT HOMES
111,620 = Overall number of children, under age 18, who were homeless in 2023. Another 34,147 young adults aged 18-24 live alone and unhoused. Worse yet, most advocates warn that these numbers may be low — homeless children and youths are notoriously undercounted. (data from HUD’s annual homeless assessment report for 2023.)
The McKinney-Vento Act was first enacted in 1987 as a subsection of the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act and was reauthorized in 2015. Its purpose is to ensure that each child of a homeless individual and each homeless youth has equal access to the same free, appropriate public education, including public preschool education, as provided to other children and youths.
Joining our discussion and sharing their experiences:
Sarah Nowicki, SBCSC McKinney Vento Liaison
Autumn McCully, VP of Empowerment Services,
YWCA-North Central Indiana
Nia Porillo, Director of Programs, SJC Youth Service Bureau
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NEXT HHR MEETING
When: TUESDAY, APRIL 23rd, 2024, 6 pm
Where: NNN Community Center (1007 Portage Ave)
Discussion Topic: How can we best ensure that all rental homes in our community are Habitable?
Habitable = suitable or fit to live in
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The South Bend Neighborhood Services & Enforcement
Department (formerly known as Code Enforcement) is
responsible for upholding city codes regarding housing
violations, including substandard or inoperable plumbing,
electrical wiring, heating systems, lack of adequate heat and/or hot water or inactive utilities. Occupied residential rental structures are inspected through the Rental Safety Verification Program (RSVP) that was amended by the Common Council in February of 2019.
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Joining us for the discussion will be Elizabeth Maradek, South Bend’s Chief Neighborhoods Officer, SB Common Council member Dr. Oliver Davis, and Regina Williams Preston, Justice Education Project Director at the Center for Social Concerns at the University of Notre Dame.
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NEXT HHR MEETING: THURSDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2023, 6 PM,
MAIN LIBRARY, COMMUNITY LEARNING CENTER
CLASSROOM D
PROGRAM:
1. Lead poisoning prevention in Saint Joseph County, a presentation from the Lead Affinity Group, a community coalition of civil servants, health providers, educators, researchers, and community leaders that has been meeting since 2017 to address the dangers of lead in our community. They are conducting community presentations this fall to: (a) educate the community about lead poisoning, (b) share recent, important policy changes in Indiana that will help children and families, and (c) provide information about resources that are locally available. After viewing this presentation, participants will have a deeper under-standing of the lead poisoning problem in St. Joseph County and be able to advocate for community and organizational action.
2. What have we learned from our Eviction Court Watch project? Since June of 2022, members of HHR have maintained an information table in the lobby outside of SJC Small Claims Court where Monday’s Eviction Court proceedings are held. We provided information about resources available to support our neighbors who were in danger of being evicted from their homes.
Since May of 2023, HHR volunteers also have attended eviction hearings. In addition, Katherine Wines, a legal navigator from Pro Bono Indiana, developed and completed an observation sheet for hundreds of eviction proceedings. Collected results then were analyzed by Katherine and Judy Fox, Clinical Professor Emeritus of law at UND. Their findings will be shared with us at the October 12th meeting, explaining the methodology used as well as their findings from this first stage of the project. We’ll also hear experiences from some of the eviction court volunteers: e.g. what type of information was requested at the information table and what they learned from observing the proceedings.
Join us that evening with your questions and comments about these community action projects!
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TUESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2023 6 PM – 7:30 PM
WE NEED MORE AFFORDABLE HOUSING!
MAIN ST. LIBRARY, COMMUNITY LEARNING CENTER, CLASSROOM B
PROGRAM:
Kathy Schuth, Director of NNN, Si Barker, VP of Board of 466Works,
Regina Williams Preston, Far Northwest Neighborhood Activist.
LEARN FROM THEIR EXPERIENCES AND BEGIN A DISCUSSION OF
THE AVAILABILITY OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN OUR COMMUNITY.
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FRIDAY, AUGUST 25, 2023 — 10a.m. until Noon, Portage Township Trustee Office, 133 N William Street, South Bend
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE EVICTION PROCESS AND WAYS TO SUPPORT OUR NEIGHBORS WHO ARE IN DANGER OF LOSING THEIR HOMES.
We are looking for volunteers to participate in an Eviction Court Watch on Mondays, located in the SJC Small Claims Court. Some members of the Eviction Court Team will maintain a presence at an information table in the lobby outside the courtroom. Other volunteers will be trained to observe and report on court proceedings so we can better understand how to help people facing eviction. To learn more about the eviction process and the Eviction Court Team, join us on…
JOIN US — IF YOU WERE NOT ABLE TO COME TO THE FIRST TRAINING SESSION, OR TO SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCES IF YOU HAVE BEGUN TO PARTICIPATE IN THE PROJECT.
INVITE OTHERS TO JOIN YOU TO LEARN ABOUT THIS OPPORTUNITY. CONTACT sjc.cfed@gmail.com for more info.
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Next meeting of HHR, Monday, July 31, 2023 at 6 pm
Classroom D, Community Learning Center at the Main Library
Topic for discussion: A Place for Safety
An introduction to new roles, growing efforts, and ways to help.
A continuation of our discussions on Homelessness featuring Carl Hetler, South Bend’s newly appointed Homeless Coordinator, and Common Councilwoman Lori Hamann
Lori Hamann will discuss the Common Council’s tabling of a bill that would add “housing status” as a protected class. Carl Hetler will discuss national training being used by many local agencies, and provide hands on skill development for the general public.
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Next Meeting: Monday, June 19, 2023 6 pm
At the Civil Rights Heritage Center (1040 West Washington St.)
Discussion topic: Need for a “HOMELESS BILL OF RIGHTS”
A Homeless Bill of Rights is, at its essence, a reaffirmation that the homeless are entitled to the same rights and privileges as other citizens and an understanding that those rights and privileges are not always recognized.
At the next meeting of the South Bend Common Council, Councilwoman Lori Hamann will introduce a bill that would amend the city’s human rights ordinance to establish the “unhoused” as a protected class.
At our HHR meeting next Monday, Councilwoman Hamann, South Bend’s newly appointed Homelessness Coordinator, Carl Hetler, and other housing advocates who have participating in the development of a Homeless Bill of Rights, will join our meeting for a discussion of this issue.
The amendment to the Human Rights Ordinance should have its first reading at the June 26th Common Council meeting. After the 1st reading, the Public Health and Safety meeting will review the amendment and it will be voted on at the 1st Council meeting in July.