News Details

NATIONAL CHURCH RESIDENCES HOLDS

GRAND OPENING FOR THE COMMONS AT THIRD 

$11 Million Permanent Supportive Housing Community

Serves Formerly Homeless, Disabled Low-Income Single Adults

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Commons at Third, a National Church Residences permanent supportive housing community, will open during a ceremony at 11 a.m. Monday, July 16. Located at 1280 Norton Avenue in Grandview, the $11 million project provides housing and services to the formerly homeless and disabled low-income single adults.

Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman, Franklin County Commissioner Marilyn Brown and Greg Moody, director of the Ohio Governor’s Office of Health Transformation, are among the speakers at the ceremony for the permanent supportive housing project, which was developed with extensive cooperation between public and private organizations.

“The Columbus City Council, the Franklin County Board of Commissioners, the Community Shelter Board, Goodwill Columbus and our financial partners also  played essential roles in this development,” National Church Residences President and CEO Thomas W. Slemmer said. The Commons at Third is National Church Residences’ fifth permanent supportive housing facility in Columbus.

The Commons at Third has 100 studio-style apartments in a three-story building. It will provide housing for 60 people who meet the “Rebuilding Lives” criteria, which includes long-term or chronic homelessness, low-income and disability, and another 40 people with low income and disabling conditions.  The residents can earn no more than $14,400 per year under Section 8 rules. All applicants will pass a background check before being accepted as residents.

The Commons at Third has also been certified as “Platinum” by the Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) program as developed by the U.S. Green Building Agency Council (USBGC).  LEED is an internationally recognized green building certification system developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). It provides third-party verification that a building or community was designed and built using strategies aimed at improving performance across all metrics that include: energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality, and stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts.

The LEED for Homes Initiative for Affordable Housing promotes sustainable building practices specifically for affordable homes. The goal is to recognize and reward the intrinsic resource efficiencies of affordable housing within the LEED for Homes Rating System.

The Commons at Third’s green, sustainable features include:

• Energy Star windows;
• Low-flow plumbing fixtures;
• Energy Star appliances and light fixtures;
• Low VOC sealants and adhesives in carpets and cabinets;
• Compact Development – 74.6 units per acre;
• Recycling during construction—89% of waste was diverted;
• Landscaping with drought resistant and non-invasive/indigenous plants to the region.

Some Residents Moving From Nursing Homes, Other Facilities, Reducing Costs

“Twenty-five disabled individuals are coming from nursing homes, with 15 more people coming from halfway houses or hospitals,” Slemmer said.  “We are pleased that we can provide a greater quality of life for these people at a lower cost.”

All units receive project-based voucher housing assistance payments from the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority. A partnership with Goodwill Industries gives residents access to employment training and placement services.  Other services provided at the Commons at Third include case management, crisis intervention, assessment and referral, and home health and nursing care.  

The building has a community room, computer resource room, 24-hour staffed entry, a meeting room for resident services, and interior and exterior security cameras.

The objective of “Rebuilding Lives” is to help end the cycle of homelessness by creating permanent, supportive housing with on-site supportive services.  This links residents to social, education, therapeutic, vocation and health care support programs needed to affect lifestyle change. All residents have access to these services. Those eligible for “Rebuilding Lives” are currently homeless individuals with a disability who have either been homeless for at least 120 days or who have had at least four episodes of homelessness.

A Community Effort Funded by Public and Private Resources

The program was funded through private and public resources. Huntington National Bank is the sole banking investor. Other support came from the City of Columbus, the Community Shelter Board, private equity investors, banks, foundations, and local, state and federal housing loan programs, such as the Rebuilding Lives Funder Collaborative.  Donations can be made to the National Church Residences Foundation to support resident programming and services.

Capital funding for the Commons at Third was provided by:

• ·       National Affordable Housing Trust and Huntington National Bank    
• ·       Arlington National Bank (partner with JP Morgan Chase)      
• ·       City of Columbus and Franklin County                                           
• ·       Affordable Housing Trust of Columbus & Franklin County     
• ·       Federal Home Loan Bank of Cincinnati                                
• ·       Ohio Housing Finance Agency
• ·       U.S. Department of HUD/McKinney Vento Funds                 
• ·       Arlington National Bank donation                                                   
• ·       Porter Wright Morris & Arthur                                                        

Goodwill Columbus provides employment opportunities for residents of the Commons at Third, including janitorial and maintenance services that supply short-term jobs and training for long-term employment options. The Randolph A. Jester Foundation provided a $10,688 grant to purchase computers, printers and supplies for the resident resource room. Rebuilding Lives Funder Collaborative (CSB) and HUD Continuum of Care  also have committee to a one-year funding of services.                                                  

Speakers at the grand opening include:

• ·       Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman
• ·       Greg Moody, Director of the Governor’s Office of Health Transformation
• ·       Franklin County Commissioner Marilyn Brown
• ·       Charles Hillman, President & CEO of the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority
• ·       Doug Garver, Executive Director of the Ohio Housing Finance Agency
• ·       Joe Molnar,  Managing Director, Huntington Community Development Corporation
• ·       Jeffrey Lyttle, Central Region Vice President, JP Morgan, Chase &Co. on behalf of the Community Shelter board
• ·       Margie Pizzutti, President and CEO, Goodwill Columbus
• ·       Adam Rapien, Field Representative for U.S. Rep. Steve Stivers 15^th District
• ·       Tony Ruscilli, President, Ruscilli Construction Co. Inc.
• ·       Floyd Jones, Chair of the National Church Residences Board of Directors
• ·       Thomas W. Slemmer, President and CEO, National Church Residences

National Church Residences is committed to excellence that transforms the lives of the people it serves. The not-for-profit organization is an innovative leader in integrating housing, health care and supportive services, serving seniors of all income levels and families. With 330 communities in 28 states and Puerto Rico, National Church Residences operates five continuing care retirement communities and is the nation’s largest developer and manager of affordable senior housing. It also operates supportive housing for the formerly homeIess. The National Church Residences model of person-centered care includes adult day health, assisted living, senior housing, skilled nursing homes, rehabilitation center, outpatient therapy, home health care and hospice. For more information, visit www.nationalchurchresidences.org.

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