Written by Julie Smith-Morrow, Newport Vice Mayor
Families face difficult decisions to make ends meet. One of their biggest challenges is finding a way to secure quality, affordable housing.
Newport is a three square mile city set between neighboring cities and rivers–bordered by the Ohio River on the north, the cities of Southgate and Fort Thomas on the south, the city of Bellevue on the east, and the Licking River on the west. Newport has an old and rich housing stock, but space for new construction is limited. Some who want to move to Newport say they cannot afford to come here, and some current residents say they cannot afford to stay.
Nationwide, other factors including increasing food and energy costs, wages that have not kept pace, or lack of local government and community support, can contribute to local housing challenges and leave few housing options. Resolving this seems beyond many cities’ capabilities, but when we work together we help families secure and keep housing. Newport’s city and community leaders are responding to our housing needs, and we’re fitting the pieces together:
(1) Neighborhood Foundations (Housing Authority of Newport). For more than 30 years this organization has brought the Housing and Urban Development Community Development Block Grants for federal housing programs to Newport. More than 200 rental apartments are at Grand Towers, Clifton Hills, and Corpus Christi. Neighborhood Foundations’ home ownership program provides down payment assistance for new or renovated single family homes and requires an application to determine income–based need, a clean background, and a five–year commitment. Neighborhood Foundations operates the most successful program in Newport and the area, having sold more than 140 homes to qualified families.
(2) Bellevue Land Corporation and Newport Land LLC. These private investment groups are divisions of Brandicorp, and they focus on building affordable housing in Newport’s west side. These two groups have demonstrated tremendous success, having completed and sold 81 homes and planning for more construction.
(3) The PLK and Urban Sites groups. The Newport Board of Commissioners recently approved construction of two new market rate apartment and condominium rental complexes, the PLK development at the steel mill site on Route 9 in Newport’s west end and the Urban Sites development in downtown Newport. The PLK project will provide 200–300 units; site remediation has begun and construction is anticipated to begin this year. The Urban Sites multistory apartment complex, projected to bring 125 units, will occupy the space east of the new City garage and Hilton flag hotel development in the 400 block of Monmouth Street.
(4) Proposed pilot grant program with Habitat for Humanity. There is a gap between some homeowners’ resources and affording repairs or renovations of their historic homes. We are developing a pilot project with Habitat for Humanity, initially focused on major exterior repairs in Buena Vista neighborhood. Our proposed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) details the City’s $25,000 grant funds commitment that will be matched 1:1 with Habitat funds plus project management.
Similarly, some business owners have trouble getting into Newport property or funding repairs and renovations on their existing business properties. We’re developing a new collaboration addressing that:
(1) Proposed commercial façade grants with ReNewport. This non-profit community development organization has taken up Newport’s property owners’ concerns. The organization developed a façade grant program several years ago and assisted more than 35 residential and commercial property owners with funds for repairs and renovations. The City and ReNewport now propose an MOU that would commit $25,000 of City funds to match ReNewport’s funds and support a new commercial façade grant program.
I support the proposed pilot home repair grant program with Habitat for Humanity and the commercial façade grant collaboration with ReNewport. Adding these two new grant programs will help our home and business owners repair and renovate their historic properties. Our Newport and community partners team efforts show that collaboration benefits our residents and brings: (1) federally funded housing, (2) new affordable housing opportunities, and (3) local grant funds for renovation and repair of historic commercial and residential properties. This story is one you will want to follow.