Indiana is our home, but years of neglect have made it a place that doesn't allow all Hoosiers to thrive, especially women, people of color, and individuals with disabilities. Hoosier families need a sturdier foundation, the ability to weather storms, and opportunities to grow.

It's always better to fix the roof while the sun is shining; in a storm, you have to prioritize to prevent further damage and address the basics. Hoosier leaders should focus on policies that address critical needs. We outline these in our 2021 Policy Agenda:

• Patch the roof to prevent further damage: Hoosiers need support to weather the current storm of economic fall-out, including income supports and consumer protections.
• End predatory lending
• Support safe, stable affordable housing.
• Improve TANF so that it equitably supports all Hoosier families.
• Allocate all federal recovery dollars in a targeted way to serve as many vulnerable Hoosiers as possible, in the most equitable way possible, and with public transparency.
• Build a sturdier foundation: Building and repairing Indiana's economic foundations would help Hoosiers handle whatever crises come their way.
• Require job-quality measures, such as raising wages, paid leave, fair schedules, etc. 
• Promote tax policies that improve the livelihoods of Hoosier families.
• Create more opportunities to grow: Investing in public services and learning opportunities for all ages makes Indiana an attractive place for Hoosiers to live and grow their families and businesses. 
• Strengthen and improve On My Way Pre-K and childcare affordability
• Invest in quality degrees and credentials, while supporting students as they realize their potential

See the PDF here: 2022 Indiana Community Action Poverty Institute Policy Agenda

2021 Policy Agenda

Indiana is our home, but years of neglect have made it a place that doesn't allow all Hoosiers to thrive, especially women, people of color, and individuals with disabilities. Hoosier families need a sturdier foundation, the ability to weather storms, and opportunities to grow.

It's always better to fix the roof while the sun is shining; in a storm, you have to prioritize to prevent further damage and address the basics. Hoosier leaders should focus on policies that address critical needs. We outline these in our 2021 Policy Agenda:

• Patch the roof to prevent further damage: Hoosiers need support to weather the current storm of economic fall-out, including income supports and consumer protections.
• Advocate for human services programs to maintain or increase their funding levels.
• Increase TANF eligibility and benefit levels, remove the family caps from TANF, continue the waivers that are helping families to access TANF and SNAP
• End predatory lending
• Build a sturdier foundation: Building and repairing Indiana's economic foundations would help Hoosiers handle whatever crises come their way.
• Require reasonable accommodations for pregnant workers
• Support safe, stable, affordable housing
• Require job-quality measures, such as raising wages, paid leave, fair schedules
• Improve the state's Earned Income Tax Credit
• Create more opportunities to grow: Investing in public services and learning opportunities for all ages makes Indiana an attractive place for Hoosiers to live and grow their families and businesses. 
• Strengthen and improve On My Way Pre-K and childcare affordability
• Invest in quality degrees and credentials, while supporting students as they realize their potential

We need you to TAKE ACTION and ensure that YOUR legislature makes Indiana an attractive place to live and grow! Thank you for joining us in advocacy. 

Download the 2021 Agenda

2020 Public Policy Agenda

All Hoosiers should have the opportunity to support their families with jobs that pay adequate wages and allow them to balance work and family. They should have access to safe financial products and meaningful income supports when times are tough. However, unless our policymakers and community & business leaders work to combat bias and establish meaningful labor standards, consumer protections, and work supports, we will continue to see unequal outcomes that keep Hoosiers from achieving their full potential.

To ensure that Hoosier families flourish, the Indiana Institute for Working Families will focus on five building blocks of thriving, inclusive communities as part of its 2020 Policy Agenda:

• Strong Consumer Protections: Without protection, predatory lenders will mire Hoosiers in debt they cannot repay.
• Top 2020 priority: Enact a 36% APR cap on payday loans.
• Meaningful Income Supports: When jobs are inadequate, hard to land, or impossible to sustain due to life circumstances, income supports are a critical lifeline.
• Top 2020 priority: Raise TANF eligibility to 50% of the federal poverty line and adjust benefits for inflation.
• Quality Jobs: Hoosiers need jobs with adequate wages and the ability to balance work, family, and health.
• Top 2020 priority: Provide a clear, affirmative right to reasonable accommodations for pregnant workers.
• Stable, Affordable Housing: A safe and stable place to call home is critical to maintaining employment and children's education.
• Top 2020 priority: Strengthen protections for vulnerable renters and homeowners.
• Access to Postsecondary Education & Training: All Hoosiers should have opportunities to develop skills in industries and careers that fit their talents and motivation.
• Top 2020 Priority: Advance policies that provide better alignment of programs and funding to reduce the academic costs and the non-academic barriers for Indiana's adult student learners.

Throughout this session, you will be invited to take action to help us move these priorities forward. Want to get a head start? Visit our TAKE ACTION page for ideas and be sure to follow us on social media for minute-to-minute updates on what's happening in YOUR legislature.

Download the 2020 Agenda

Archives

• 2019 Public Policy Agenda
• 2018 Public Policy Agenda
• 2017 Public Policy Agenda
• 2016 Public Policy Agenda
• 2015 Public Policy Agenda
• 2014 Public Policy Agenda
• 2013 Public Policy Agenda
• 2012 Public Policy Agenda
• 2011 Public Policy Agenda| Monitoring Agenda

Learn More

How the Institute Sets its Policy Agenda