Client Story

Kosciusko County, Indiana faced a set of housing challenges that were well-documented and fragmented across multiple sources like studies, initiatives, and organizations. While the prior research from these sources highlighted issues related to the county’s housing supply, affordability, quality, and stability, Kosciusko County lacked a comprehensive and coordinated structure to align its stakeholders. Additionally, interpreting the findings in a collective conversation and moving toward shared action were proving difficult.

Habitat for Humanity of Kosciusko County (Habitat) recognized the need for a county-wide housing coalition that could unify local nonprofits, government offices, funders, developers, and service providers around one common agenda.

Establishing a coalition such as this required more than the partners at the table. An understanding of the collected data, agreement on priorities, and strategic frameworks that could translate research into a coordination implementation plan were essential to the coalition’s success.

To support this effort, Transform Consulting Group (TCG) was engaged by Habitat to help establish the Kosciusko County Housing Coalition (Coalition) and guide the development of a multi-year strategic plan for housing.

Work for this project began with the development of the Kosciusko County Housing Findings Summary, which analyzed data and insights from three previously completed housing studies commissioned by the Kosciusko County Community Foundation (KCCF). This summary created a unified baseline of information, which clarified the scale and scope of housing challenges related to the supply and demand imbalance, affordability gaps, aging housing stock, and barriers to homeownership.

Our research on aspirational organizations and peer communities was conducted to identify practical models and policy approaches relevant to Kosciusko County. These were developed into tangible materials to inform coalition members ahead of an in-person strategic planning retreat.

During the Strategic Planning Retreat, coalition members used the findings summary and supporting research documents to confirm shared goals and develop aligned strategies. The planning process resulted in a five-year strategic plan that defined priorities across the county’s housing supply and affordability, wrap-around services, and coalition infrastructure. All of this was planned, positioning Habitat for Humanity as the backbone organization for implementation.

TCG served as the planning partner responsible for coalition development, data analysis, and strategic planning facilitation. This included actions such as translating complex housing research into accessible materials, guiding cross-sector stakeholders through consensus-building exercises, and structuring a strategic planning process that balanced the community’s ambition with practical actions for implementation.