“We hope as you walk down the street, you can’t tell the difference between our building and the ones around it,” Johnson said, noting that giving residents a more desirable place to live makes it more likely they’ll take care of it.
Centerville, Kettering, Germantown, Huber Heights, Oakwood, Trotwood, Washington Twp. and West Carrollton are among the many communities where GDPM has buildings, he said.
GDPM has almost 99 percent occupancy in the 2,800 apartments and other housing units it owns, with another 2,700 on a waiting list, Johnson said. Another 3,500 live in private landlord housing, with part of their rent paid through GDPM vouchers. Participants pay 30 percent of their adjusted income in rent, ranging from $145 to $500 per month.
Almost all of the agency’s $44 million annual budget comes from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, but funding changes are possible in the near future.
As for the name change, Johnson said his agency is the first in Ohio and possibly the second in the nation — after Portland, Ore., new name Home Forward — to shed the long-standing “housing authority” name.
Johnson said GDPM is competing more than ever with private for-profit and nonprofit partnerships that are buying and building affordable housing.
He said the former DMHA has more checks and balances, and has a mission of providing safe, stable homes for families, while some private groups could be more focused on profits.
GDPM could eventually demolish its two largest facilities — Desoto Bass and Hilltop Homes — as it moves to smaller, scattered buildings, but that is years away, he said.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2278 or jkelley@DaytonDailyNews.com.
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