HUTCHINSON Kan. – Interfaith Housing Services, Inc. has been awarded a $139,325 grant from Kansas Housing Resource Corporation (KHRC) through the Home Rental Development Program. HOME, funded through the Federal Home Investment Partnerships, assists communities and developers with increasing the supply of affordable rental housing.
“We look forward to working with Interfaith Housing Services to provide quality and affordable housing to the residents in Hutchinson,” stated Christine Reimler, HOME Division Director.
The “Building for the Future” HOME grant will bring new housing to a neighborhood that is over 100 years old. The funds will allow IHS to build two modular homes on a vacant lot recently donated to them through the City of Hutchinson’s Land Bank at Avenue G and South Maple, near Lincoln Elementary School and Elmdale Community Center. The goal of the larger project is to concentrate efforts to create a visible and substantial impact in this area.
“We are delighted to receive this grant from KHRC. It is a step towards developing an area of the community that has been forgotten,” said Interfaith Housing Services’ Director of Development, Holly Thomas.
IHS seeks to play a significant role in creating Community Development opportunities throughout Hutchinson with an expertise in housing. This will not only improve the quality and value of homes within these neighborhoods, but the quality of life as well.
IHS refers to the “Building for the Future” grant as a “test build” to assess the feasibility of building new homes, in a style and price point consistent with neighborhood property values. The long-term goal is to create a system for in-fill construction, which puts new homes on vacant lots, in downtrodden neighborhoods.
IHS will take what is learned from this two-unit test build, along with input from the community and other local organizations, to develop a plan to replicate the process on other vacant lots. The vision to create a substantial impact includes more than new construction. It will also encourage members of the community to utilize other programs and services IHS offers to repair existing homes, as well as, achieve asset building and financial stability.
The “Building for the Future” project will initially focus on a 3 block radius around property IHS already owns at Avenue G and Plum. IHS intends to involve other organizations and neighborhood residents in the community development initiative. The objective is to develop the necessary planning and implementation tools that make it easier for families in an established neighborhood to thrive.
“Our hope with this project is to reduce blight and reverse housing deterioration in that area,” states Ron Fisher, Director of Operations at Interfaith Housing Services. “By utilizing modular housing, we can still offer quality, energy efficient homes, but they will reduce that gap between construction cost and appraisal value. The plan is to build two modular homes, one with a crawl-space and one with a basement, as a test to see how close we can get to closing the gap.”
For more information about this project or to learn how you can make a donation or volunteer, please visit IHS-housing.org or contact Holly Thomas at 620.662.8370 or hollyt@ihs-housing.org,