Becoming a homeowner came with the usual burdens for Ashley Beverly.
Learning the right questions to ask. Building trust with a Realtor. And, of course, filling out plenty of paperwork.
But looking back, Beverly said the process wasn’t stressful. She was able to buy her eastside home in 2024 with the help of the Indianapolis Neighborhood Housing Partnership. INHP is a nonprofit that offers services such as homeowner education and advising.
“It was absolutely a beautiful blessing,” she said.
Beverly, 36, is a family and community engagement manager with Indianapolis Public Schools.
Now, other district employees will have access to the same help Beverly received.
IPS is working with INHP to bring homebuying education sessions and one-on-one advising directly to district employees.
Through another partnership with Greater Indy Habitat for Humanity, the district will donate seven properties to the nonprofit where they will build up to 16 houses. The homes will be available for anyone who qualifies, not just district employees.
The IPS board approved the land transfers in April. INHP hosted two informational sessions for district employees in May.
Why this matters for IPS workers
The housing partnerships come as the cost to live in Indianapolis continues to rise without wages keeping pace.
A quarter of renters spend more than 50% of their income on housing, making it hard to save money for a down payment and other costs that come with buying a home.
That can be especially true for teachers and others who work in education.
As of the 2024-25 school year, IPS teachers had the highest starting pay in Marion County at $53,460. But IPS teachers also had the lowest average pay in the county at $55,883.
For district employees other than teachers, hourly pay can range from $16 an hour for newer custodians to almost $29 an hour for the most experienced maintenance workers.
IPS Superintendent Aleesia Johnson said she hopes the extra support leads to more homeownership opportunities for employees.
“We are very excited for the work happening in this regard to support our staff and their families in their pathway to homeownership,” Johnson said at a board meeting in April.
Keeping up in a ‘more competitive space’
For Indy Habitat, land donations are becoming increasingly rare.
Abri Hochstetler, the organization’s vice president of development and communications, said about 75% of the land Indy Habitat acquired was donated as of 2018.
More recently, that number has gone down to 4%.
One reason: Hochstetler said Indy Habitat is going up against real estate investors.
“It’s just a much more competitive space,” she said.
Eligibility for an Indy Habitat home includes meeting the income requirement and completing 200 hours of working on a building site or at a donation center. For a family of four, household income has to be more than $44,280 annually but less than $88,560.
Through INHP, employees who meet an income requirement — a household income less than $88,550 for a family of four — can get down payment assistance and a loan through the organization. If they earn too much money, INHP can make a loan referral.
For Beverly, who was a teacher before moving to the district’s central office, the support was empowering.
She moved through the buying process at a comfortable pace, asking questions along the way and making sure she chose the right lender. Beverly will celebrate two years in her home this fall.
“It’s very beautiful,” she said, “once you land on that place.”
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Mirror Indy reporter Tyler Fenwick covers housing and labor. Contact him at 317-766-1406 or tyler.fenwick@mirrorindy.org. Follow him on X @ty_fenwick and Bluesky @tyfenwick.bsky.social.
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