About a million dollars in federal funding will help build new housing in Hamilton County. The three projects awarded HUD grants are in Lockland, Lincoln Heights and Delhi Township.
It’s a total of 58 units — the lowest number since the county started using this federal program five years ago.
"The cost of supplies and things of that nature have increased significantly," Maria Collins, the county’s community development administrator, told Hamilton County commissioners Tuesday. "So even though there are fewer units being developed, it costs more to develop those units."
Collins says it also costs a lot more to subsidize single-family homes compared to multifamily housing, like apartments.
This year’s awards are $650,000 for 10 single-family homes, and $500,000 for 48 apartments. The county granted the full eligible amount to all three projects that applied:
Habitat for Humanity of Greater Cincinnati: $350,000
Six single-family homes in Lockland/West College Hill. The total project cost is $780,000.
Homesteading & Urban Redevelopment Corporation (HURC): $300,000
Four single-family homes in Lincoln Heights. This is a continuation of the program through The Port that recently built four single-family homes in the village. This award is for an additional four homes. The total project cost is $1.1 million.
Urban Sites: $500,000
Pedretti Place is a 48-unit apartment complex for seniors in Delhi Township. The project recently received an award from the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program, a highly competitive grant. The total project cost is $11,952,416.
Hamilton County HOME awards over time
| Year | County Funds | Total Units | Total Project Cost | Leverage |
| 2016 | $1,850,000 | 243 | $36,057,409 | $19.49 |
| 2017 | $800,000 | 77 | $11,509,479 | $14.39 |
| 2018 | $1,400,000 | 124 | $19,102,802 | $13.64 |
| 2019 | $1,150,000 | 236 | $44,438,595 | $28.77 |
| 2020 | $1,079,178 | 146 | $32,177,293 | $15.50 |
| 2021 | $1,150,000 | 58 | $13,832,416 | $11.03 |
| Total | $7,429,178 | 884 | $157,117,994 | $20.15 |
