Newsletters
May & June 2023
As spring has turned to summer, Hoosier Action members have turned up the heat on our campaigns to keep Hoosiers housed and increase access to quality care for all in our state, no exceptions. By working across party, place, and race our efforts are paying off!
Whether it’s fighting to keep senior citizens in their home, helping pass legislation to ensure access to mental health services, or protecting healthcare coverage for Indiana Medicaid members, everyday people are showing that, working together, we can make life better for all Hoosiers!
Keeping Low-Income Seniors in Their Homes
We’ve won TWO BIG victories in the fight to keep the low-income senior residents of Crawford Manor in their homes: a 5-month extension of HUD’s contract with Baptist Homes of Indiana (BHI), the owners of Crawford Manor, and a meeting with BHI’s CEO John Datillo!
By working together, organizing with Hoosier Action, attorneys from Indiana Legal Services, elected officials from both sides of the aisle, and with support from HUD, residents of Crawford Manor have made certain that their rights are respected and are continuing the fight to protect their home.
When BHI failed to respond for months to residents’ written concerns and request for a meeting, their call for support was heard by the community: Crawford Manor residents circulated a petition which has garnered more than 1,000 individual and organizational signatures, as well as numerous stories in the press. On Tuesday, May 23rd we joined together at BHI’s headquarters to deliver the petition as well as a request for a meeting, which was granted following additional press coverage of the seniors’ plight.
Although both of these victories were big steps in the right direction, negotiation between residents and BHI continues. If you’d like to lend your support to residents, consider writing an op-ed or letter to the editor. Email stephanie@hoosieraction.org for more information.
Winning Mental Health Funding
Because of 8 months of statewide organizing, we ended Indiana’s 2023 legislative session with a historic win: Indiana’s legislature has moved $100 million to mental health crisis response! After decades of stigma, neglect, and criminalization in response to Hoosiers’ mental health needs, this legislative session marks a step forward, but is far from enough to meet the needs of Hoosier families. Whatever the color of our skin or the contents of our wallets, all of us should have a number to call, someone who cares, and a place to go to when struggling with our mental health or substance use.
Leading up to the session, we held Town Halls in five legislative districts, including a 150-person Town Hall with President Pro Tempore of the Senate Rod Bray. We partnered with faith allies, advocates, law enforcement, and elected officials from both parties, and reached out to over 30,000 Hoosiers to call for a new and fully funded mental health system.
Even though our work has made Indiana prosper, resulting in a budget surplus of over $6 BILLION, a greedy few and the politicians they pay have spent decades redirecting resources from our communities to their bank accounts. This legislative session shows that when we resist their attempts to divide and demonize us based on our skin color, where we live, or how much money we make, it is possible to win the services and supports all of our communities should have.
Our work is not finished, and we are not going away. Our communities need more, and we will continue building power to build a kinder and more caring Indiana for all Hoosiers.
Hoosier Action Members & Organizers Hit the Road
It’s been a busy travel season for Hoosier Action: in June, more than twenty of our members and organizers joined with more than 2,000 other community leaders and organizers from around the country for training and action at events in Ohio, Montana, and Washington DC! Twelve Hoosier Action members traveled to the People’s Action National Convention in Washington where they joined the call for a national organizing revival, took direct action together and attended trainings with leaders from across the country.
Five Hoosier Action leaders joined organizers Stephanie and Will for intensive week-long organizing training in Ohio with organizers and community leaders from across the midwest. At the training, leaders deepened their commitment to building power and sharpened their organizing skills to win what they and their families need to thrive.
In Missoula, Montana Hoosier Action leaders helped to organize and lead the first-ever Small Town Summit! The event brought together more than 250 organizers from across the country to discuss how to empower our communities to build a brighter future for rural and small-town people. Check out this great article from Indian Country Today to learn more!
Reaching Out to Our Neighbors in Columbus & New Albany
Our summer outreach season is officially in full swing! With local elections coming up this fall, Hoosier Action leaders from Bartholomew and Floyd Counties have been out knocking on doors, tabling at public events, and holding community listening sessions. We’re listening to our neighbors to learn what they care about the most in the lead-up to the municipal elections this fall. Join us at an upcoming chapter meeting or community dinner to get involved by registering at hoosieraction.org/events.
Our work would not be possible without contributions from Hoosiers like you. Dues-paying members fund and drive our work. Become a dues-paying member of Hoosier Action for just $5 a month to fund the future of Indiana!
Sign up today to become a monthly dues-paying member by going to hoosieraction.org/join-us.Together, we can make Indiana a place where all Hoosiers, no matter their zip code or the color of their skin, can thrive.
One time contributions can also be made at hoosieraction.org/donate.
Hoosier Action
931 State St.
New Albany, IN 47150