Groundbreaking was held for the Greenfields Community Living Project, in Jessup. This project is an investment of $990,000 by iHomes Inc. a 501(3)(c) nonprofit organization and certified Community Housing Development Corp. (CHDO); it will utilize a variety of funding sources for the construction of three single-family, energy-efficient, net-zero housing units.
The future residents of the Greenfields Community Living Project (GCLP) will be some of the County’s most vulnerable residents; of very low income earning thirty percent or below of the HUD Baltimore- Columbia- Towson area median income, and have a diagnosed disability, varying from Autism Spectrum disorder, Down Syndrome, traumatic brain injury and/or other intellectual disorders. This project is a remarkable demonstration of utilizing public and private funding to create quality energy efficient affordable housing for this vulnerable population.
“iHomes, Inc., the County’s only CHDO, is at the forefront of creating affordable housing for persons with developmental and intellectual disabilities,” said Kelly Cimino, director, Howard County Department of Housing. “Since 2012, the County and iHomes have partnered to create housing for [more than] 20 vulnerable individuals and invested almost $810,000 in HOME Program funds in housing projects for the residents they serve. We appreciate HUD’s support of innovative housing projects like Greenfields and want to thank Joseph DeFelice of the HUD Philadelphia office and Carol Payne of the HUD Baltimore office for attending the event today.”
Through the County’s annual entitlement allocation from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, this project is funded with Home Investment Partnership Program funds, the County’s Community Renewal MIHU fee-in-lieu funds, state bond financing and discretionary funds from the Weinberg Foundation.
These units will be owned and managed by iHomes as single-room occupancy units and every resident will have a lease and pay rent for his/her own room and the use of communal spaces. Residency in these affordable units will also include wrap-around services provided by Humanim, Inc., such as enrollment in adult day programs, independent living training, physical rehabilitation and teaching job readiness skills.