TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) – A new data driven study aims to tackle the housing needs of west central Indiana.
Thrive West Central conducted and published the study that details the needs of individual communities in our area. The counties involved include Clay, Montgomery, Parke, Putnam, Sullivan, Vermillion and Vigo.
By 2050, West Central Indiana is expected to lose roughly 5% of its population. This decline would be primarily due to people moving out elsewhere.
This staggering statistic is one that local officials are hoping to reverse and improving our housing situation is at the forefront of it.
Thrive West Central Executive Director Ryan Keller said that the study is designed to fit needs each community as it’s difficult to fit the needs of them with one blanket approach. For example, he mentions that one can’t target Terre Haute and Rockville as those populations differ greatly.
The 42 page study takes a look at the aforementioned counties’ demographics, economy, housing supply and demand.
“This is taking a look at a whole host of databases,” Keller said. “We really put all the pieces to the puzzle in this analysis.”
One key issue that Keller pointed out as one that could be an issue across the board is housing supply and demand. The supply cannot keep up with the current market demand. This is particularly prevalent in houses valued between $150,000 and $250,000.
“We’re low on supply right now,” Keller explained. “We now have a deficit of homes that are needed in the area and you can see that by how long homes stay on the market.”
Parke County Commissioner Jim Meece was one of many local leaders involved in the study. He encourages the data driven approach that was taken in the study.
He said that the study opened eyes on the good things and also the challenges that need to be overcame to improve housing. With only 16,000 people in Parke County, Meece stressed the importance of having quality housing.
“We don’t have the infrastructure to be that industrial center but we can be a place for those folks to live,” Meece said. “We really have to work on quality of place to improve those things.”
Meece said that he’s already getting the ball rolling on improving the quality of housing in the county. He cited a study that said that Parke County is swiftly moving towards a high population of remote workers. An essential of remote working is access to broadband, which is something not prevalent in some homes.
Meece explained that they’re working with several providers to help aid this issue.
“Even though it’s a long way from being solved, we’ve certainly gotten a hold of it and we’re working towards those goals,” Meece said.
As for the study, Keller said although there will be some short-term solutions, they’re focused on the longer-term solutions.
He mentioned that they’re in the process of scheduling workshops to go over the data found in the study.
