“It’s just surreal to be at the finish line,” Kuykendall said.
County Corp is the private nonprofit development corporation for Montgomery County. The nonprofit unveiled three new homes on Auburn Avenue in Dayton — one will be taken up by Kuykendall; the other two are still available — through its Pathway to Homeownership program.
Credit: Jim Noelker
Credit: Jim Noelker
“You all can imagine how important homeownership is to building generational wealth,” said Adam Blake, the vice president of housing for County Corp. “Homeownership stabilizes neighborhoods and with it families break the cycle of generational poverty.”
The Pathway to Homeownership program, led by County Corp., began as a way to help 1,600 renters who were impacted by the 2019 tornadoes in Montgomery County to become homeowners. It has expanded into a resource for low- to moderate-income individuals and their families to seek homeownership.
“This makes several initiatives that close the gap for homeownership, close the gap between disparities. And it rebuilds a neighborhood,” said Anthony Forte, the field office director of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Laura Mercer, the former executive director of the Miami Valley Longterm Recovery Operations Group and a consultant for County Corp, said the three Auburn Avenue properties all have the same floor plan, but their exteriors have their own unique features.
Mercer said the program in total has built 16 homes in Harrison Twp., Trotwood and northern Dayton.
“Things like this are going to keep moving northwest Dayton forward,” said Darius Beckham, a representative of Dayton city officials. “We’re breathing new life into this area. We couldn’t be more excited just to see northwest Dayton and the city continue to progress.”
County Corp will be developing another five lots in Trotwood as it continues its second phase of housing.
Hopeful applicants work with County Corp’s HomeOwnership Center of Greater Dayton program staff to become mortgage ready while homes are constructed on properties donated by the jurisdictions.
The program is funded through a combination of federal, state and local funds, as well as donations to a fund through the Dayton Foundation.
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