County 51: Porter

As I walked in the door of Housing Opportunities, Inc., in Valparaiso I quickly learned of the humanitarian efforts offered by their organization. I read a sign that seemed to sum everything up perfectly: “We give a hand up not a hand out.” This philosophy was soon explained to me in detail as I had a chance to sit down with about 15 employees, including CEO Caroline Shook.   

Housing Opportunities, Inc., is an organization which provides comprehensive housing services including temporary, transitional, and permanent housing. They also work with the community to help prevent their clients from reusing their services. This is where their motto seemed to fit perfectly. In order to use their housing services there are requirements the clients must complete. The requirements include budgeting and credit training classes, obtaining training services and skills to succeed in the community and a 60 day limit for temporary housing.



Lt. Governor Skillman meets with Housing Oppportunities Inc.,
employees to discuss their assistance programs in Porter Co.



This organization is highly recognized in Northwest Indiana because they not only offer assistance to those in need, but they give them the tools to get back on their feet. 

Additionally during my time at Housing Opportunities, Inc., they showed me their on-site food pantry. It’s fully stocked and open two days a week to Porter County residents. Caroline told me that if they are in need of an item all they have to do is send out an alert to

local residents and the product is refilled almost instantly. She said they have tremendous support throughout the community.

I had a very informational meeting in Valparaiso learning about all the successes and even failures with our housing programs. I was able to bring back a wealth of knowledge and even a few suggestions for the legislature. 

I hope other organizations around the state will mimic a few of the initiatives being done by Housing Opportunities, Inc.

County 50: Lake

We all know the history surrounding the steel mills in Gary and East Chicago. Downtown districts that once thrived have faced struggles over the recent years. As the employment shrank, the people began moving away. One neighborhood in the heart of downtown East Chicago was hit especially hard. The North Harbor district was full of homes, movie cinemas and store fronts. As the people went, so did the houses and shops many vandalized and boarded up. Now hope is being restored in this tough luck neighborhood.

The North Harbor Revitalization Initiative is working to restore the downtown neighborhood and bring families back to town. This is a massive project covering several city blocks with townhomes, apartments, a community center and a senior citizen housing facility, as well. I was extremely impressed with the beautification this initiative has brought to East Chicago. I took a walking tour of the neighborhood and enjoyed the closeness of the city park, shops and restaurants all within a couple blocks of each other.  



Lt. Governor Skillman discusses the details of the North Harbor
 Revitalization Initiative in East Chicago



The state put $2.5 million toward this project as part of our Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) which is administered through the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority. 

Mayor Anthony Copeland was able to give me some good inside information about the benefits this will have on the local economy, especially as families start to move back downtown and spend their money there. Like many of the other projects around the state, the mayor said neighbors to the project are beginning to take pride in their properties by fixing them up. I always enjoy hearing the ripple effects these NSP projects have on a neighborhood.

This was a very satisfying trip to see a community that once flourished, hit some hard times, and now begin to get back on their feet. The neighborhood looks magnificent and I look forward to hearing about all the families that begin moving back to downtown East Chicago.

County 49: Tippecanoe

I spent several hours on campus at Purdue University for my Tippecanoe County visit, participating in the College of Agriculture’s Lessons in Leadership program. 

I arrived in time to sit down to lunch with Dean Jay Akridge and a group of students known as the Agriculture Ambassadors.  We had a lively discussion about the agriculture industry and what the future holds for the up-and-coming leaders around the table.

Next I spoke at a seminar, where a large group of faculty, staff and students gathered to hear my perspective on leadership and the lessons I have learned serving in public office.  I shared my experiences from my days as a local elected official, then as a State Senator and finally as Lt. Governor.
 

After I took questions from the students, I moved on to a meeting with a group of leaders from the College of Agriculture and Purdue’s network of Extension Offices.  I was eager to hear their thoughts about how state government can be a better partner in the future, and the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead for the University and the Extension staff. 

I finished my day at Purdue with a visit to an undergraduate class.  I encountered a talented group of upper-classmen who were studying controversial issues in agriculture.  I had a few words of wisdom to share with them about my experience dealing with the hot topics that come up in an industry with so much diversity.  There is no doubt that our agriculture industry will be in good hands when these students graduate and start learning their own first-hand lessons in leadership.

County 48: Clay

It is always exciting to see the large impact that can be made when a few abandoned homes are razed or restored. The Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP), which is administered by the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority, aided in the reconstruction of 13 blighted properties in Brazil. The properties are then resold to low- to moderate-income families. 



Lt. Governor Skillman tours a home in Brazil, IN rebuilt
through the Neighborhood Stabilization Program, which is
administered through her Indiana Housing and Community
Development Authority.



The NSP fund allocated $1.4 million to a neighborhood in the North-West section of Brazil. Upon my arrival, I wanted to view one of the new homes, and I couldn’t have been more impressed with its design. It was a wow moment when Stacy Gibbens, the local project administrator, showed me the before and after pictures of each property. It was also very encouraging to hear that only three properties still need to be sold.  

Stacy, Mayor Wyndham, and Angie Pappano (also a project administrator) took me on a tour of the three-bedroom, two-bathroom home. It was a two-story structure and came with a fully equipped kitchen. I could envision a well-deserving family residing inside. 

I have viewed several NSP projects around the state, and I always notice the next-door neighbors to these new homes. After seeing a cleaned up yard and new house built next to them, many neighbors now take pride in their own property to revitalize it, as well. It creates quite the ripple effect for the neighborhood. 

As I continue on my 92 county Hoosier Crossroads Tour, I look forward to hearing about the continued successes from the NSP project in Brazil. I know it will have a lasting impact on the community and on several families who will be given the opportunity of homeownership.

County 47: Parke

As I travel around the state, I enjoy doing something I call “windshield research”. And as I traveled through Parke County I witnessed the abundance of state parks and lakes in addition to their covered bridges. Parke County offers a lot of tourist attractions with Turkey Run and Shades State Parks as well as Raccoon Lake. After talking to local leaders, I know they’re looking forward to the summer travel season and if this weather holds up they will hopefully see huge numbers.

After moving through the county I reached my destination: the town of Montezuma. A few years ago, local officials worked hard to win a very competitive $500,000 Community Focus Fund grant from our Office of Community and Rural Affairs to build a community center. To their credit, they raised $88,500 of their own money as well. 



Lt. Governor Skillman tours a Community Center in
Montezuma which received grant funding from her
 Office of Community and Rural Affairs



Cathy Morgan, the town clerk treasurer, offered to show me the product of our collaboration. The Community Center was fantastic. It had several large rooms for meeting space, a built in projector and screen, and a nice big kitchen. During my visit, I talked to a few of the members of the community who were eating their lunch before helping out with the local meals on wheels program. The Center hosts everything

from a family Christmas party, to graduation open houses, to town meetings, and community events. I can say the money has been put to good use.

Allen Cobb, the town council president, also came out to discuss several of their local projects with me. The town has also received a grant for a new fire truck and recently fixed up their town park. Needless to say this small community is doing big things. 

My fourth visit to Parke County as Lt. Governor was quite successful. I was extremely pleased with our state’s investment in the Montezuma Community Center and certainly enjoyed my “windshield research” of all the beautiful scenery in Parke County.

County 46: St. Joseph

My trip to St. Joseph County brought me to the Heritage Place at LaSalle Square, a senior housing development that is currently under construction but presents great possibilities for the community in South Bend.

I joined Representative Timothy Wesco and local developers for a tour and a discussion about the impact of this project.  This area of South Bend had posed a problem for leaders for some time, and the entire community has been eager to see it improve.  The use of this property as a senior housing development is intended to rejuvenate a neglected area, bringing life back to the retail section with new residents to frequent the shops. 

This development was made possible with low income tax credits from the state, and I was proud to see state government partnering on a project that will have such a positive impact.

County 45: Marshall

We all know Indiana weather is strange, but it’s definitely an odd year when the golf courses in our state opened several months early with some never closing for winter. But that’s what I heard when I visited Mystic Hills Golf Club, a course in Culver that welcomed golfers months ahead of schedule.

Golfers from Indianapolis and South Bend talk to
Lt. Governor Becky Skillman at Mystic Hills Golf
Club in Culver on March 27.

Mystic Hills is one of Indiana’s Pete Dye Golf Trail courses. Launched nearly a year ago, the trail incorporates seven courses including Mystic Hills. Renowned golf architect Pete Dye has built golf courses all over the nation with most of his courses concentrated in Indiana. To learn more about the trail visit, www.petedyegolftrail.com.

At Mystic Hills, I had an opportunity to talk with owner Vicki Pugh. Vicki and her son Dave, the course’s golf pro, have been hard at work to promote the Pete Dye Golf Trail.

People are traveling from out-of-town, including Chicago, to play the courses on the trail. The mild winter was good news for an industry that already has a strong impact on the state. Indiana’s golf industry contributes $1.7 billion to the economy.

Indiana is home to beautiful golf courses, and the Pete Dye Trail highlights only a few of what our state has to offer. To find out what courses are near you visit, visitindianagolf.com.