New housing choices help neighborhood

HARRISON TOWNSHIP, Ohio (WDNT) - The Fort McKinley neighborhood in Harrison Township kicked off efforts to improve the neighborhood Monday by holding a ribbon cutting ceremony for 25 Energy Star Homes.

The families selected for the Fort McKinley Homes Project will pay rent structured to be affordable to households earning 50% of the area median income and will start out at less than $600 per month; any increases will be restricted based on increases to area median income. All homes meet the Energy Star rating requirements and have received certification from the Enterprise Green Communities Program and are expected to be completed by April 2013.

The project really got going when Ginghamsburg Church came into the area. "We began to dream about what God could do for this community. We began to hear from our neighbors that housing was a major issue in this community," said executive Pastor of the Ginghamsburg Church David Hood.

The Neighborhood Stablitzation Program awarded the township $3 million of federal stimulus money for the project.  Other groups contributed including: The Fort McKinley Homes Program, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Ohio Housing Finance Agency, Ohio Capital Corporation for Housing, Montgomery County, COUNTY CORP, Oberer Residential Construction, Ltd., The Oberer Thompson Company, Ginghamsburg Church/The New Path, Inc., Harrison Township and KeyBank.