As with most diverse communities in America, significant disparities have developed over time. Historic racist redlining policies, “White Flight”, inequitable resource allocation, and more have all contributed to a situation where race is a dividing between “haves” and “have-nots” on many important indicators. This project is an attempt to track those disparities over time to both shine a light on the many areas for improvement but also the areas where progress has been made.

On Dec. 7, 2023, the Polis Center showcased a new statewide tool it developed that will help users better understand trends and relationships between evictions and societal factors. The goal of the tool is to raise awareness of evictions in Indiana and provide a resource to empower communities to instill change. Experts in the eviction and housing circle will serve as expert panelists to provide insight and perspective on this important topic. Partners in the project include WFYI Public Radio and New America, a “think and action” tank which focuses on equity at the center of its research and policy recommendations.

The May 16 State of Aging Report forum explored Central Indiana trends in the socioeconomic wellbeing of older women, implications for their long-term health and wellbeing, and ideas for planning and building their networks of support. Presented by The Central Indiana Senior Fund, a fund of the Central Indiana Community Foundation, in partnership with The Polis Center and WFYI Public Media.

This initiative features bimonthly e-newsletter updates on how the Indianapolis metro area is recovering and emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic on some of the most pressing and challenging issues in our community. We look a Indianapolis unemployment rate; housing prices in the Indianapolis metro area; Central Indiana monthly average monthly rent; and status of homicides.

The Polis Center’s expertise in neighborhood level community information differentiates it, bringing a holistic perspective to best identify improvements. It looks beyond the physical infrastructure elements of mitigation by bearing in mind a region’s vulnerable populations, social weaknesses and services, social determinants of health, and more when preparing a community’s MHMP.

Polis partnered with Welborn Baptist Foundation to customize the SAVI community information system to support the region’s Grow Capacity Building platform. The Grow data system aims to help local stakeholders better understand the community’s demographics, needs, and assets. The SAVI team also is building capacity of Grow leaders to support local organizations in their use of data.