The Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority announced two grants to build affordable housing in the state meant to help attract workers and promote home ownership.

Two Indiana nonprofits received $500,000 each to build modular homes on lots considered a blight to their community. The awardees are LaCasa in Elkhart and the Affordable Housing and Community Development Corporation in Marion. LaCasa will build three single-family houses in Elkhart.

Jacob Sipe is the executive director of the IHCDA. He says communities across the state are struggling to provide basic necessities like affordable housing to attract workers to their area. He says housing is just one part of a larger three-pillar approach.

“So, you know, there’s a lot of quality of life pieces to the workforce housing challenge,” he says. “It’s not just the housing component, it’s a community, it’s a transportation challenge … so it’s a little more complex than that.”

Proceeds from the sale of the new homes will go towards supporting more affordable housing construction.  Qualifying prospective homeowners will need to earn at or less than 140 percent of the area’s median income.

Contact Justin at jhicks@wvpe.org or follow him on Twitter at @Hicks_JustinM.