EATON — During a Monday, April 24, Preble County Board of Commissioners meeting, Home is The Foundation (HIT) presented plans for a new low-income housing project, located between the PC Sheriff’s Office and the PC Jobs and Family Services building.
Presenting for the HIT Foundation was Executive Director Clayton Genth, along with PC Mental Health and Recovery Board Executive Director Amy Raynes.
“Starting back in August of 2021, a group of us had gotten together to talk about housing in Preble County. Specifically for the people that we serve, people with disabilities, people who experience homelessness and those kinds of things,” began Genth.
Genth outlined properties within Preble County the foundation had looked at for potential housing development, most of which were “not a good fit,” before finally settling on Preble Drive, in Eaton.
“It’s beside the jail and adjacent to the Preble County Services, it’s about 40 acres — a little over 40 acres. There’s a couple of reasons we settled on that. It’s perfect for the type of housing we’re looking at. It’s a great location for anybody, no matter who you are,” Genth said.
“It’s close to the hospital, it’s close to the (Seven Mile) park, the grocery stores, close to town. It’s close to the services for people who need those. They can go over to Jobs and Family Services to get employment and food stamps and all of that kind of stuff,” said Genth.
Genth added, the development must be within city limits so it can be on city water, as the expenses for the project rise exponentially otherwise.
Speaking to the “clientele” of the housing, Raynes said, “It’s a majority of individuals with disabilities. We have a grant that subsidizes disabilities that could be physical, it could be mental health,” she said. “Most people have a disability of some sort. Probably a couple of the units will just be affordable housing.”
Raynes also noted the housing would be exclusively for PC residents and would not be available for individuals from other areas.
Raynes added, the percentage of disabled residents to low-income residents would likely be 80-20. Raynes and Genth noted, the Residences at Eagles Point in Eaton are low-income housing as well, but with less focus on housing those who are disabled.
“What we see in our homeless shelter, is we have seven people just right now who are disabled and struggling to find housing they can afford,” said Genth.
The foundation plans to have property managers and counselors with an office on site to assist those living in the development stay on medications, deal with issues and uphold respectable behaviors, according to Genth and Raynes.
“It’s not full-time, but we’ll have office hours where people can come and see them,” remarked Raynes.
The commissioners have requested to view similar facilities in surrounding counties to help them consider the project. Currently, the foundation plans to build 20-30 units, single story, with one-two bedrooms maximum.
Raynes noted, the existing housing units “do not turn over” but rather inhabitants pass away or “income-out” of eligibility.
“I feel like it does work,” Raynes concluded.
According to Genth, the foundation would need site acquisition by the end of June 2023, to move forward with the project at the proposed location.
Reach Nathan Hoskins at 937-683-4057.
