From Capitol to Community

Families need safe, reliable care after school and during breaks. We work with partners to: 

• Modernize policies and funding for before- and after-school programs. 

• Strengthen providers statewide. 

Why it matters: For every one child in an Indiana after-school program, three more are waiting to get in. Many are home alone from 3 to 6 p.m. employer-child care partnerships. 

• Strengthen sustainability for early childhood providers. 

• Increase data transparency in early learning programs. 

• Support better alignment of child care, pre-K, and K–12 outcomes. 

Why it matters: Child care costs eat up more than 11% of the average Hoosier family’s income (the “affordable” threshold is 7%), and we don’t have enough high-quality seats to meet demand. Early educators are underpaid — more than half rely on public benefits themselves. 

Partners: Early Learning Indiana, Early Education Works Coalition.

Many Hoosiers, especially hard-working ALICE families, struggle to find affordable, stable housing. We advocate to: 

• Increase the supply of quality affordable housing. 

• Expand pathways to homeownership, including down payment and homeowner education support. 

• End housing discrimination and promote fair housing for all. 

• Oppose criminal penalties for homelessness; advocate for access to resources and housing-focused solutions. 

• Prevent displacement as neighborhoods grow. 

Why it matters: Rising housing costs outpace wages, resulting in high eviction rates and major barriers to home ownership. Black, Latino, senior and low-income families face the greatest burdens.  

Partners: Hoosier Housing Needs Coalition, Prosperity Indiana, INHP, CHIP.

We want fewer families pushed into crisis because of medical bills. We work to: 

• Strengthen hospital charity care policies. 

• Ensure medical debt can’t damage a patient’s credit score and that wages can’t be garnished to pay for debt. 

• Increase transparency in billing and collections. 

• Help patients get connected to insurance options. 

Why it matters: Indiana leads the Midwest in medical debt – to the tune of $2.2 billion. Low-income, Black and Hispanic Hoosiers are hit the hardest. 

Partners:  Indiana Hospitals Association, Indiana Business Health Collaborative, the Indiana Community Action Poverty Institute, American Cancer Society, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

We promote policies that help working families care for loves ones while maintaining financial stability, such as: 

• Paid family and medical leave. 

• Expand child tax credits so families can better cover basic needs. 

Why it matters: Nearly 80% of Hoosier workers have no paid leave — and almost half of Indiana children live below the ALICE threshold, making child tax credit policies critical. 

Partners: The Indiana Community Action Poverty Institute, Indiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence, the Pritzker Children’s Initiative.