Community Development for All People and 14 local organizations have teamed up to invest in the Housing Strategy Project, in the hopes of boosting the number of homes and occupants in the south side of Columbus.
Katelin Hansen, a resident in Hanford Street South Columbus, said that South Columbus has been staggering to find its footing in terms of occupancy and residence.
"You can picture this neighborhood when it was first made in the 1920s and envision all the hopes and dreams that were made here," said Hansen.
Hansen has been living in South Columbus for six years and has seen how decent homes have fallen apart.
"We knew that the south side has had its struggles and we wanted to be part of growing it into everything that it can be," said Hansen. "In the years that we have lived here, it went from a decent house to having holes in the wood, and now it's all waterlogged."
The sentiment about her beloved community falling apart is not just being felt by Hansen but of all of the present residents of South Columbus. That is why, Rev. John Edgar of the Community Development for all People thought of a strategy project to help their community lure in more people, and to make sure that no resident gets pushed out.
According to the report from WBNS-10TV, the plan includes:
1. Development of 250 affordable rental units for very low income households; well-built, well-managed new units that fit into the neighborhood.
2. Help homeowners maintain and improve their homes; give assistance for all incomes, especially for interior repairs.
3. Improve existing rental properties and work with landlords to improve the condition of rental properties.
4. Develop strategies for duplexes and doubles; marking and financing for two-unit properties as ownership or rental.
5. Provide income support or rent subsidy for 250 very low income households; promote tenant-based approaches for stable, affordable housing and sustainable income.
6. Provide homeownership opportunities for residents; promote development, financing, education, and community building.
7. Sustain and expand revitalization; re-develop vacant properties and build new affordable housing.
8. Reduce housing cost burden for current owners; provide utility assistance, tax relief and refinancing.
"We need to help people with low incomes; the ones that are most vulnerable to being displaced, the ones that are being displaced right now," Edgar said.
"To have first time homeowners that can be part of the housing program would be so much better than the empty property that it is right now," Hansen added. "I look forward to raising kids in this community."
