In response to a request by the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs, the Purdue Center for Regional Development was asked to take a brief examination of national, state, and local housing programs and/or policies that are intended to improve the availability and quality of rural housing. This includes programs that promote the growth of market-rate housing – residential and rental housing that is priced at current market rates and are not subsidized in any way. As such, the first portion of this report (i.e., Part A) briefly showcases a mix of federal housing programs and policies, especially those that are intended to address housing issues in rural areas of the U.S.

It is with these and related issues in mind that a team of researchers and practitioners from the Purdue Center for Regional Development (PCRD) and Purdue Extension decided to conduct a series of focus groups in seven targeted Indiana counties. Funded by the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA), the sessions were designed to capture the views, insights and concerns of local leaders and residents on the topic of housing. Such local views, coupled with the more quantitative housing profile prepared by PCRD, provided the Purdue team with the breadth of information needed to articulate both the challenges and potential strategies associated with the housing problem in rural Indiana.