New Home Rescue Program for Distressed Toledo Neighborhoods Announced

Monday, March 08, 2021

Maumee Valley Habitat for Humanity and the City of Toledo on March 8 announced details of the Home Rescue Program – a new, multi-year partnership with several community partners to leverage extensive funding for critical home repairs in distressed neighborhoods.

The program, which is funded with $1.5 million of Home Investment Partnerships Program (HOME) funding provided to the City of Toledo by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), will be administered by Maumee Valley Habitat for Humanity. It addresses overall code violations and lead safety issues in owner-occupied homes, and is designed to assist low- to moderate-income Toledo homeowners. Some qualifications apply.

“Through the Home Rescue Program and other City of Toledo Neighborhoods Department housing initiatives, we will continue to develop great partnerships with the private sector to help us ramp up housing repair in our neighborhoods,” Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz said. “Preserving our older housing stock is a major priority.”

Recognizing this need, both the ProMedica Foundation and the Owens Corning Foundation, have invested additional dollars to support 10 projects in the Junction Neighborhood. Their considerable funding will help address energy efficiency, aging in place, and additional lead hazards in the home. They will support a new Habitat housing development in the Junction Neighborhood that starts in 2022.

ProMedica’s gift was funded through the recent ProMedica Junction Neighborhood grant from the Greater Toledo Community Foundation.

“The ProMedica Ebeid Neighborhood Promise and ProMedica Foundation were thrilled to invest in the Junction neighborhood resident-driven grant program,” said Adrienne Bradley, ProMedica’s Community Impact Director.

“The goal of the program is to help support a neighborhood that traditionally has experienced disinvestment, which has disproportionally affected people of color,” Ms. Bradley said. “Reinvesting in neighborhoods like Junction is a critical step in creating infrastructure and opportunities for all of our neighbors.”

The Owens Corning Foundation is a long-time supporter of Habitat for Humanity’s mission and works in the greater Toledo region and around the world to help further affordable housing solutions. Owens Corning has donated construction materials as well as financial support for this initiative.

“The Owens Corning Foundation provides financial support to address safe, affordable housing in Owens Corning communities around the globe. We’re excited to work with Maumee Valley Habitat, the City of Toledo and ProMedica to build a community where all residents have equal opportunity to take part and fulfill their highest potential,” said Don Rettig, Owens Corning Foundation president.

Each rehab project is estimated to cost approximately $50,000 to address critical home repair needs, with more than $500,000 to be invested in the Junction Neighborhood. The investment will help revitalize the neighborhood, enabling homeowners to live healthier and safer lives in their own homes preserving their ability to reside in the community they love.

“This amount of investment means more work can be done at a quicker pace,” said Michael McIntyre, Maumee Valley Habitat for Humanity executive director. “We think this is an amazing example of how community partners can come together, leverage each other's resources, and make an even bigger impact for homeowners in our city.”

The partnership event kicked off at 9 a.m., March 8 at 1055 Indiana Ave.

“It is a dream come true,” said Cathy, a City of Toledo homeowner. “This is one of the things I have always wanted to do. The Junction Coalition connected me to this opportunity. This home means so much to me. I have lived here since I was four-years-old.”

In total, 10 projects will be completed in the Junction Neighborhood. Seven locations are already identified and can be viewed on the attached map. The media will be provided access to capture exterior video of all seven homes listed on the map. The projects will be completed by the end of 2021.

“While this funding makes a significant impact, more is needed to address the aging condition of Toledo homes and the disinvestment of core central city neighborhoods,” Rosalyn Clemens, Toledo Neighborhoods Department director, said. “We have a waiting list of more than 70 homes for the Home Rescue Program.”

Maumee Valley Habitat for Humanity works in Lucas County to fulfill Habitat for Humanity’s vision of a world in which everyone has a decent place to live. Habitat homeowners help build their own homes alongside volunteers and pay an affordable, 0% interest mortgage. Homeowners also attend financial management and home maintenance classes to be self-reliant and stable in their homes. Maumee Valley Habitat also has repair programs to partner with low-income homeowners to provide health and safety related repairs. ReStore, located with our offices on Conant Street in Maumee, sells new and gently used building materials, furniture and appliances to the public with all profits supporting our two programs.

City of Toledo Department of Neighborhoods administers several housing programs including Home At Last homeownership assistance, Lead Grant for owner occupied and rental housing, the Early Bird Matching grant for Lead Ordinance compliance and Emergency Rental Assistance. The Department of Neighborhoods also provides Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME funds support to community partners implementing home repair programs, roofing and siding, and rental and single-family housing development.