Lake County

APPRECIATIVE QUESTION: Imagine a diverse north Lake County where historically underserved residents are heard through the dismantling of systemic health, education, safety and economic disparities. How might we partner together to coordinate resources for increased sustainability?

The I-HOPE Northwest Field Implementation Team serves Lake County, which is a densely populated area of the state located southwest of Chicago and home to the urban cities of Gary, Hammond and East Chicago in the north; the relatively suburban Hobart, Valparaiso, Crown Point and Merrillville further south; and rural Rensselaer in the far south of the county.

While Lake County has much to be proud, it’s listed among a handful of counties ranked highest in Indiana on national vulnerability indexes for economic and social risk. From our listening sessions, community members have shared that many of the issues that arise in the northern part of the county begin from generational inheritance; local programs utilize the same resources and ideas and aren't creating any traction; the stigma of mental health is pervasive; and discrimination still plays a huge role in the healthcare community. Other areas of concern include a lack of bilingual material and interpreters, veteran isolation, gang violence, and unsafe sidewalks.

The county's I-HOPE Core Team is leading the Lake County-North community to partner together to coordinate accessibility to resources that will improve the area's health, education, safety and economy.