This story is part of our latest super issue. Click here to read more from the edition.
Summer is a time for traditions – taking your annual family trip, making s’mores around a bonfire and kids forgetting what they learned the previous school year.
This year, maybe it’s time to start a tradition that helps connect you to the community: giving back.
Volunteering can be rewarding and fun, and it can help provide a new perspective. There are plenty of worthy organizations around Northern Kentucky. We’ve talked with a few local groups to give you an idea of what’s out there.
Northern Kentucky leaders and residents alike are working together to find innovative ways to address the region’s housing shortage.
If about 6,600 new housing units aren’t added to what’s currently available in Northern Kentucky within the next five years, a recent study found that the region will start losing people – and fast.
Every other month, LINK nky sends out a newspaper to all 173,000 Northern Kentucky households. We call these Super Issues. Each of these editions takes a deep dive into a topic that affects our community and the solutions that have made our region better.
This month, we’re talking about housing and how our region is addressing that sobering outlook.
We’re exploring creative ways zoning could allow for the creation of more housing; whether adapting and reusing old buildings could make a dent in the problem; we explore the many ways people can get assistance around the region; and more.
You should be getting your Super Issue in the coming days. We encourage you to sit down and take your time with it. The topics we tackle are heavy and hard to fully take in while scrolling online.
But, seeing as how you’re reading this online (and because we want you to share these stories of resolve and positive problem solving far and wide), we also wanted you to have links to each of the stories.
Click here to read my introduction to the series, exploring how even a mindset can be part of making change. From there, you can read the other stories in this super issue, or find links to them below:
Thank you for reading, and please, if you have feedback, ideas, or want to find ways to connect to your community, reach out to me at mgoth@linknky.com.
-Meghan Goth, executive editor
What is a super issue? A note from the editor.
Keep reading to find some way you can give back this summer:
Habitat for Humanity of Greater Cincinnati
Habitat for Humanity is a global nonprofit organization that provides many services, all of which are focused on helping people attain a home or improve it.
While locally owned, Habitat for Humanity of Greater Cincinnati shares a mission statement with its parent organization. “We envision a world where everyone has a safe, decent and affordable place to live,” Sarah Reynolds, Cincinnati Habitat’s communications and marketing officer, told LINK nky.
Reynolds said her organization does this through three main programs: an affordable home ownership program, a critical repair program and a construction training program.
Habitat is best known for its affordable home-ownership program, through which Habitat and volunteers build homes alongside future homeowners. “They’re out on site building with us right alongside volunteers, and then at the end of that process, they purchase their homes with a 0% interest mortgage,” Reynolds said.
Reynolds said this is the program that uses – and needs – the most volunteers: “When people think Habitat, they think volunteer on-site, building homes, and that’s exactly what we do.”
Volunteers who help build homes do things that range from framing to drywall to painting.
“People really enjoy volunteering at Habitat because a lot of times they leave with skills that they didn’t have before,” Reynolds said.
Reynolds said some people even volunteer to learn skills they can use in their own homes.
While it may seem intimidating to those who don’t have construction skills, Reynolds said anyone over 16 can volunteer, with no prerequisite skill requirements.
“Our site superintendents are equal parts construction professionals and teachers,” Reynolds said. “They are so great at teaching skills that you need on-site.”
Reynolds said they often build infill homes, often helping cities fill abandoned lots. If possible, she said the group tries to build multiple homes in the same area to help with planning and timing. “If you have an excavator out to dig a foundation for one house, it’s just easier and more efficient to build another house right next to it,” Reynolds said.
This summer, Reynolds said, Habitat expects to start construction on nine homes on John Street in Covington. This will be the first time Habitat has built homes in the city since 2018, and, yes, they need volunteers.
“We build community while we’re building community, so when you come out to build on a Habitat home, you get to know the people you’re working alongside and a lot of times that’s the homeowner who’s purchasing the home,” Reynolds said. “It’s just a fun opportunity to get to know people and make a difference while you’re working.”
Learn more about Habitat for Humanity of Greater Cincinnati, including information on volunteering, at habitatcincinnati.org.
Boone County Water Rescue
If you’re looking for a unique and interesting volunteer opportunity, check out the region’s volunteer water rescue.
“We keep our community safe on the water,” Boone County Water Rescue public relations manager Danielle Gronefeld told LINK nky.
The rescue, a division of Boone County Emergency Management that operates under the fiscal court, has 50 volunteers that work more than 12,000 hours annually in water rescue and recovery activities.
Funded by the Boone, Kenton and Campbell fiscal courts as well as grants, it serves those three counties, covering “approximately 95 miles of the Ohio and Licking rivers combined, and then other countless inland waterways like smaller lakes or streams,” Gronefeld said.
While it covers primarily NKY, Gronefeld said the rescue partners with other Tristate organizations and can also respond to other counties if requested.
The group is available 24/7, May through September, and it also conducts boat patrols every Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Boats are crewed by at least three or four people, Gronefeld said, patrolling designated coverage area to ensure everyone is safe, particularly keeping an eye out for broken-down boats and any other emergencies.
Water rescue also patrols during events near the water, like concerts at Riverbend, Friday night fireworks, Reds and Bengals games, plus large gatherings like Riverfest.
Gronefeld said the goal is to ensure the safety of everyone on the river by making sure all boats have their lights on and to keep the river channel clear for barges.
In addition to patrols and rescues, the organization offers a lot of water safety awareness, including community outreach and education events, such as hands-on days with the equipment and joining in parades. Last winter, Gronefeld said the group helped out with Camp Ernst’s polar bear plunge.
While diving into the Ohio River to perform water rescues may seem daunting, Boone County Water Rescue needs all types of volunteers.
“Our team is made up of all walks of life,” Gronefeld said. “We are 100% volunteer. We have mechanics. We have IT professionals. We have bankers and business owners. We have some riverboat captains or people who work on BB Riverboats. We have engineers, grant writers, nurses, human resource professionals or just some retirees.”
The team is currently looking for rescue/recovery divers, who can apply here. However, even if the team is full, Gronefeld said applications are always accepted.
Find more information and apply at team.bcwrky.org.