Southside Homeownership Program As one primary aspect of our mission, to improve the quality of life for low and moderate income persons on the Southside of Columbus, we develop safe, affordable housing. We are a CHDO (Community Housing Development Organization) which provides affordable housing to low-income households as its purpose. Our Southside Home Ownership Program involves the renovation of 14 houses that will be sold as owner occupied homes. We are partnering with the City of Columbus Housing Department and with the Ohio Housing Finance Agency on the renovation and sale of these homes. Each of the 14 houses was a vacant and blighted property when it was purchased. The houses are completely renovated; making them some of the nicest in the community. After renovations, each house is sold to persons who are at or below 80% of the median area income.

The house to the left shows 800 Carpenter before renovation.  Above is the view of the house afterwards.  A complete “gut/rehab” is done on each house. This means the interior walls are removed down to the studs. The house is remodeled with new electrical wiring, plumbing, central heating and air conditioning. Redesigned kitchens feature new cabinets, sinks, countertops and energy efficient appliances. New wall to wall carpet is installed throughout each house. You may qualify to purchase one of these homes, even if you've never been able to afford a home before or need to work on your credit. Several major grants help subsidize the cost of each home so they can be offered below market value. There are trained professionals available to help people through the process of applying for these homes. Assistance is also available to help with down payments and closing cost.   Buyers who sign purchase contracts while the renovations are underway can be involved in determining the layout of the kitchens as well as selecting colors for interior walls and carpeting. Now is the time to buy! Through the economic stimulus package Congress passed early in 2009, the Federal Government is offering an $8,000 tax credit to new homebuyers who purchase before April 1, 2010.   Click here to learn more. (Brochure in Adobe Reader pdf format)

This house at 622 Sheldon (shown right) is currently for sale. To schedule an appointment to see the inside or if you are interested in exploring home ownership, contact: Norwood “Buzz” Thomas Buzz.thomas@kingthompson.com 614/562-9600    Our partners in this venture include: City of Columbus, The Affordable Housing Trust of Columbus and Franklin County, The Community Development Collaborative of Greater Columbus, The Ohio Housing Finance Agency, Apex Builders, and Coldwell Bankers.

Healthy Neighborhoods, Healthy Families (HNHF) Realty Collaborative   Community Development for All People has teamed up with Nationwide Children’s Hospital to form The Healthy Neighborhoods, Healthy Families (HNHF) Realty Collaborative; with the intent to rehabilitate or repair homes within a 28 block area to the immediate south and east of the Hospital’s main campus. The goal of The HNHF Collaborative will be to generate a net community gain of 65-75 homes within the next 5 to 7 years, by renovating houses and with the creation of a Home Repair Program for owner-occupied units set to begin in 2010. The first renovation project was 770 Carpenter Street (pictured right), completed and sold in June of 2009. Our project also involves working with the residents of the owner occupied homes in our target area. By building trust and creating opportunities for residents to come together for mutual support, fellowship and activities, we will be creating community that will set in motion an ongoing relationship among participants and allow for a sustained project. We envision partnering with a variety of private businesses, charitable organizations and government agencies to achieve this bold plan for comprehensive transformation. We plan to recruit teams of volunteers from businesses, civic organizations and churches to work with our home owners to do landscaping and yard work at homes of persons in the community and in neighborhood parks.   Construction is currently ongoing at two other sites: 799 Heyl and 815 Heyl. If you are interested in a “HNHF Healthy Home” contact Robert Williams at rwilliams@4allpeople.net