'Bills are hard, rent is high': Project to bring more affordable housing to northeast Indy

INDIANAPOLIS — Amid an affordable housing crisis across the nation and here in Indianapolis, a new project is looking to rehabilitate vacant units to provide more low-cost living options on the city’s northeast side.

The initiative called “Gateway to Life” (GTL) is a partnership between the Kingdom Apostolic Ministries and the Northeast Indianapolis Community Service Corporation (NICSC).

In a press conference Thursday, the partnerships announced it aims to provide much needed affordable housing to residents like Katlyn Lewis, a single mother among many Hoosiers struggling to pay bills, including rent.

“It’s hard for me to maintain my home on top of paying for the high cost of where I’m living,” she said. “It’s been hard. We live in a society where we don’t make too much money and we just try to stay afloat financially.”

The organizations plan to renovate apartment units near the intersection of 38^th and Emerson, properties that have sat vacant for over a decade in the neighborhood.

“This partnership will facilitate a multi-million dollar rehabilitation of nearly 250 units across Emerson,” said Cameron Gates, the Executive Director of NICSC.

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The organization said they were recently awarded federal and state tax credits through the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority (IHCDA) for its rehabilitation project, along with a $5 million commitment to the project from the city of Indianapolis.

“People need a place to stay but not only that. I want you to recognize that Gateway to Life is not just representative of housing, it represents transforming lives,” said Bishop Lambert Gates Sr, the CEO NICSC, and the pastor of Kingdom Apostolic Ministries.

The mission of the project is to uplift and transform the community beyond housing.

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“It has the plans for supportive services, so those individuals are not just left to be on their own,” said Indianapolis City-County Councilor Keith Graves, who serves District 9.

This effort originated from a conversation that took place four years ago between Bishop Lambert W. Gates, Sr., CEO of NICSC, and Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett.

With the partnership of Black and White Investments (BWI), a Black-owned real estate development company, the project is targeting an October groundbreaking.

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“We’re months away from the start of new beginnings for this community,” added NICSC COO Terry Morris.

The project aims to increase the social mobility of at least 1,000 residents in the community by 2025 through a holistic approach — that includes addressing housing, health, education, financial literacy, and job access in three Indianapolis zip codes.

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