For Immediate Release

Southeast Indiana citizens, businesses, visitors, and former residents are invited to complete short surveys to help the region prioritize future investments in the region and the Indiana READI program. Indiana READI, which was first announced by Governor Eric J. Holcomb in his 2021 State of the State address and then enacted in legislation by the Indiana General Assembly, dedicated $500 million in state appropriations to promote strategic investments that will make Indiana a magnet for talent and economic growth. The SEI READI region, which consists of six counties — Dearborn, Franklin, Ohio, Ripley, Switzerland, and Union — successfully participated in the first round of the program. With the announcement of READI 2.0, SEI READI is seeking input on regional conditions and needs to guide the development of a refined strategic investment strategy. This refined strategy will build upon our recent successes and will further identify how we can continue to work together to become a better Southeast Indiana.

In an effort to gather information and recommendations from regional stakeholders, SEI READI is issuing three focused regional surveys as a part of our introductory planning and assessment work. Survey links and areas of focus are listed below:

1. Child Care Availability and Quality: We believe that providing quality child care is a critical component of our growth strategy. This survey will supplement available state-wide data to better highlight the current conditions and needs of our regional parents and caregivers.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SEIchildcare

2. Youth and Emerging Professionals: We believe that talent retention and attraction begin at home. This survey is focused on gathering input from our regional youth and emerging professionals (18-30 years old). https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SEIyouth

3. Regional Priorities: It is critical that we have buy-in across our region. This broad survey will gather initial thoughts, and concerns, around our progress and the future priorities for the broader SEI region. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SEIregion

SEI READI encourages all residents within our six-county area to participate in the survey process.

More information about SEI READI and updates can be found at www.southeastindiana.org. Additional details on READI 2.0, including program structure, eligibility requirements, metrics, READI 2.0 goals, focus areas, application details, etc. can be found at www.indianareadi.com.