On Saturday, November 13, HAND Inc. will host its annual Trivia Night fundraiser along with its signature Stay Home for HAND virtual event, giving supporters options for how to spend their evening.

Registration is open at https://hand.cbo.io.

Those interested in a night out can join a team trivia competition at the Embassy Suites Conference Center in Noblesville from 7 to 10 p.m.; doors open at 6 p.m. Eight-person teams will complete five rounds of general trivia, with prizes awarded throughout. Tickets include food and soft drinks, and a cash bar will be available.

This year’s Trivia Night fundraiser, which was postponed because of COVID-19, is being held at the same time as Stay Home for HAND, a ticketed “non-event” that debuted in 2017. Stay Home for HAND allows supporters to spend time enjoying the comforts of home — that precious place HAND works to provide.

Presented this year by Citizens State Bank, the events give ticket holders the chance to participate in an online silent auction and buy raffle tickets. Prize drawings will be held at the Trivia Night event, with live videos posted on HAND’s Facebook page.

“The COVID-19 pandemic made it clear how important it is for everyone to have access to safe, stable housing,” said HAND Executive Director Andrea Davis. “HAND is here to help, but we can’t do anything without support from our community.”

Founded in 2003, HAND Inc. is a nonprofit community housing development organization. It owns eight affordable rental communities with a total of 137 units in Hamilton and Boone counties. Another five units are planned for Tipton, and 11 more are planned for Fishers.

Trivia Night yard signs are available upon request: e-mail andee@handincorporated.org.

Indiana needs more than 125,000 additional rental homes that are affordable and available to the poorest Hoosiers, according to new research from Prosperity Indiana and the National Low Income Housing Coalition.

Their report “The Gap: A Shortage of Affordable Homes,” released in March, found that just 75,219 affordable rental homes are available for 202,171 extremely low-income Hoosier households. That means only 37 affordable rental homes are available for every 100 of those households. And almost three-quarters are severely burdened by the cost of the housing they can find, putting them at risk of homelessness.

The Indianapolis/Carmel/Indianapolis metropolitan area has just 23 affordable and available rental homes for every 100 extremely low income households.

“While Indiana likes to tout being an affordable place to live, I think two questions need to be asked: for whom and compared to what?,” Property Indiana Executive Director Jessica Love said in a news release. “In looking at the data, what we see is how Indiana continues to fail our lowest-income renters, especially when compared to our peers. Only one Midwest state is less affordable than Indiana.”

So why the shortage? Without significant public subsidies, the private housing market does not provide an adequate supply of housing affordable to the poorest renters. Indeed, even if rents fall in an economic downturn, they won’t drop enough for extremely low income households. In fact, a decline in rental income can prompt profit-minded owners to upgrade existing units in order to bring in higher-earning households—or convert properties to other uses.

That is why HAND’s work is so important. As a nonprofit Community Housing Development Organization, HAND is committed to building and preserving affordable housing for the long run. To accomplish this, it works with funding partners like the Indiana Housing & Community Development Authority, Federal Home Loan Bank of Indianapolis, and the Noblesville Housing Authority to bring its developments to fruition.

HAND joins the NLIHC and Prosperity Indiana in advocating for increased production and preservation of affordable rental housing, an increase in rental assistance resources for the lowest income households, a stabilization fund to prevent evictions, and stronger legal protections for renters.

Make a donation today to help keep the suburbs livable, with #housing4all regardless of age, income or occupation.