CommunityScale

MACOG Regional Housing Study

ClientMichiana Area Council of Governments (MACOG)
TimelineMarch – December 2024
DeliverableHousing Needs Plan

CommunityScale completed a regional housing strategy for the 3-county Michiana region which includes South Bend and Elkhart among other urban, suburban, and rural communities. The project was lead by partnership of regional planning collaborators including  the Michiana Area Council of Governments (MACOG), South Bend Elkhart Regional Partnership (SBERP), and the Community Foundations of Elkhart, Marshall, and St. Joseph Counties.

The effort included extensive data analysis, housing needs assessment, strategies toolkit, and actionable implementation plan. CommunityScale produced Housing Needs Assessments for each county individually as well as the region as a whole. These assessments provide perspective on housing markets, need, and production goals to help inform local policymaking.

The study concluded with a strategy toolkit and implementation plan intended to foster increased housing production across the region. Recommendations focused on how MACOG and its partners can best resource and support its member communities as they navigate housing challenges and opportunities that may manifest very differently from place to place.

Project deliverables include an online project dashboard and digital communication assets such as social media graphics designed to convey key concepts, findings, and recommendations in digestible and shareable formats.

The study’s results directly contributed to a transformative outcome for the local community: a major grant from Lilly Endowment Inc., awarded through its Community Leadership Implementation Grants initiative, including $20M dedicated to establishing and operating a regional housing land trust and investment fund. Read more about this award here.

By

Jeff Sauser, co-founding Principal at CommunityScale, has over 10 years experience leading urban design and planning projects for public and private sector clients in complex urban contexts across the country. His work emphasizes the role of housing policy and production in driving economic development progress and creating opportunities for socioeconomic mobility across the community. He is particularly interested in applying emerging big data resources and AI tools to help clients and communities plan smarter and more proactively.