Eight accessible, affordable apartments for people with disabilities are now online in Butler County. Inclusive Housing Resources cut the ribbon on Holly's Edge in Middletown Wednesday.
"We go a little bit beyond your typical 504 accessibility, which is kind of the standard for accessibility," says Gina Gehm, CEO of Inclusive Housing Resources. "In particular, you'll notice it in the showers. Our showers are very large, so that, yeah, someone could get into them with a mobility impairment, but if someone needs assistance, it's very easy for assistance in those showers as well."
There's also a lot of storage, Gehm says. There's also open space under the sinks to accommodate mobility devices, wide doors, and private outdoor patio space. Each unit is one bedroom, one bathroom with an open-plan kitchen and living space.
"We hope that we've addressed anything that someone might need in their home," she adds.
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Holly's Edge is actually two four-apartment complexes — one in Middletown and the other in Trenton. The Trenton location is already leased. The Butler County Board of Developmental Disabilities is going through applications now for the Middletown site.
Rick Taylor, chairperson of Inclusive Housing Resources' board, says developments like these are important because there's a lack of affordable housing that's also accessible.
"Most people that have disabilities are on a very low income — and as we all know what the housing market's done now, we know what the rent is (that) everybody's paying — they can't afford it, and they're on a fixed income," Taylor says. "Then on top of that, individuals that we serve here also need additional assistance in daily living, things that we all take for granted."
Speaking during the ribbon cutting, Middletown Economic Program Manager Jacob Schulte congratulated local, county and state leaders for working together on the roughly $2 million project. He called the apartment block a historic development.
"It's important for a community such as Middletown, that really has a housing need, to have such a diverse housing that's also very unique in its development; it's very high quality, but also allows people to have independence — to be able to proactively work together through the diverse housing stock to really make an impact and to help further our economic development goals and residential housing opportunities."
