City of Athens Awarded $2 Million to Help Support Housing Growth Across Ohio

The City of Athens represents one of 10 counties slated to receive a share of nearly $25.9 million in funding to create opportunities for more Ohioans to achieve their dream of homeownership.

Funding comes from the third round of the Welcome Home Ohio program, which is investing a total of $100 million in grants to help landbanks purchase, rehabilitate, or build qualifying residential properties for income-eligible Ohioans. Additionally, $25 million in nonrefundable tax credits remains available to landbanks and eligible developers for rehab and new construction projects once a property is sold.

“Safe, affordable housing opens doors to better opportunities for families and strengthens the fabric of our communities,” said Governor DeWine. “The Welcome Home Ohio program is creating pathways to homeownership for more Ohioans, while bringing new life to neighborhoods.”

“New jobs are being created in Ohio, and the population is growing in many communities. As a result, there is an increasing need for housing, and we must meet this demand to maintain affordability,” said Lt. Governor Husted. “More of our children and grandchildren are choosing to stay in Ohio, so we need to ensure an adequate housing supply to meet this demand.”

This announcement consists of more than $25.7 million in grants toward the construction, purchase, or rehabilitation of 130 homes, and $119,274 in planned tax credits to support the construction or rehab of three homes. Since the program’s inception, nearly $60 million in Welcome Home Ohio funding has been awarded to support the creation of 440 owner-occupied, single-family homes in 24 counties.

The Welcome Home Ohio program was created in partnership with the Ohio General Assembly in the biennium budget bill, House Bill 33. The Ohio Department of Development administers the program.

Today’s award will support The City of Athens with Welcome Home Athens, a revolving fund program dedicated to providing owner-occupied affordable housing throughout existing neighborhoods. These funds will be utilized to construct eight (8) affordable housing units which will be required to remain owner-occupied for a minimum of 20 years and will have household income limits to ensure that these homes stay affordable for those in the Athens community who need it most. Since the City will be the developer of these homes, the money from the initial sales will be reinvested back into the Welcome Home Athens program for the construction of additional affordable housing units throughout Athens.

The City of Athens’ Mayor Steve Patterson is excited for the opportunities this program creates and expresses, “Housing affordability is an important issue for Athens to address head on. Through this Welcome Home Athens program, the City is able to construct owner-occupied, affordable housing that will provide opportunities for families to build equity and create generational wealth.”