Recent data shows that over one-third of Indiana residents have lived in or near poverty for more than a decade, with rising costs for rent, utilities, and childcare significantly outpacing wage growth.

In fact, Indiana’s median renter income now ranks dead last in the Midwest, leaving a full-time worker needing to earn over $22 an hour just to afford a modest two-bedroom apartment.

While local nonprofits continue to step in, experts warn that without major government intervention to align resources and housing policy, the economic divide in Indiana will only continue to widen.