Affordable Housing Initiative Helps Recruit, Retain Black Teachers in Education

INDIANAPOLIS: The Educate ME Foundation is assisting Black educators achieve homeownership through its Teacherville initiative. This program aims to reduce the barriers to homeownership for Black educators in Indianapolis, which aligns with broader recruitment and retention efforts. “Teacherville effectively transforms teachers into community stakeholders, positively impacting teacher retention,” said Blake Nathan, executive director of Educate ME Foundation. “The program is an example of successful cross-sector collaboration to ensure educators can invest in and stabilize the communities where they work.” According to the Indiana Education Employment Relations Board, the average salary for a teacher in Indiana for the 2022-2023 school year was $58,531. In Marion County, where the Indianapolis Neighborhood Housing Partnership (INHP) provides homeownership programs for people earning up to 120% of the area median income, the median home price is between $230,000 and $235,000. INHP finds that a household earning only the state’s average teacher salary can typically afford a home between $165,000-175,000 without becoming housing cost-burdened. The disparity between average teacher salaries and median home prices presents a clear challenge to homeownership for educators. Through strategic partnerships, Teacherville focuses on breaking down financial barriers that hinder black educators from purchasing homes. The African American Legacy Fund of Indianapolis...