INDIANAPOLIS — Indianapolis Public Schools has announced it will give seven unused properties to Habitat for Humanity of Greater Indianapolis to build up to 16 homes as part of a broader push to make affordable homeownership possible for IPS employees.
The parcels near existing IPS schools are mostly vacant — although one parcel by William McKinley School 39 has a playground and another has an old athletic field. The locations of the properties range from the west side of the district to the Martindale-Brightwood and Fountain Square neighborhoods.
The parcels sit near George Washington High School, Matchbook Learning at Wendell Phillips School 63, School 39, and the now closed Francis W. Parker Montessori School 56. Habitat for Humanity estimates it will build about five homes annually in 2027, 2028, and 2029. Habitat preliminarily plans to build up to 16 houses across all the properties at a rate of roughly five homes per year for the next three years.
Habitat homes are available to families making no more than 80% of area median income, or roughly $88,560 for a family of four in the group’s 2025-26 cycle. Habitat homeowners must complete financial and home ownership courses and provide 200 volunteer hours, which could be spent building their home or the homes of others. Habitat then sells the home to the homebuyer, and currently offers mortgages with a 0% interest rate.