Community leaders, residents, funding partners, and volunteers gathered at the site of a recently completed duplex residence project for a ribbon cutting on Prospect Street in Chestertown on Wednesday, June 17.
The non-profit organization, Kent Attainable Housing spearheaded the project alongside numerous companion concerns and agencies bringing a whole-of-home approach to each living scenario.
Kent Attainable Housing (KAH) is a 501c3 organization that envisions a community where … “stable, affordable housing gives families the foundation they need to thrive”.
The concern focuses on limited-income and working families to provide homeownership education, affordable housing opportunities in Kent and Northern Queen Anne’s Counties, and advocacy for policies that reduce housing insecurity.
According to KAH Board President, Joe Phillips, each 1,300 square-foot unit offers three bedrooms, including a first floor primary bedroom, two, full bathrooms, an open-plan living room, dining room, and kitchen, and a laundry room. To provide more convenience on the narrow street, a parking pad was also created for each unit.
The modular-based units are joined by a demising wall to create the appearance of a single-family home to align with other structures on the block, Phillips adds.
“We believe that every working family should have this opportunity,” says KAH Executive Director, Kim Righi in her prepared remarks prior to the ribbon cutting.
This particular build, she adds, represents the fourth and fifth residences the organization has helped bring to fruition in Kent County.
Funding for the project came in part by way of an $810,000 federal (HUD) grant secured through Senator Chris Van Hollen’s office, $119,000 for the Community Investment Tax Credits Program, and the generosity of nearly $60,000 in individual donations with 11 percent of the total project funding coming from the town of Chestertown.
Also, on hand for the ceremony, noted Righi, was Maria Mauritis, Project Manager for The Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) Division of Neighborhood Revitalization whose organization was responsible for roughly 34 percent of project costs.
Righi stressed that without the efforts of all its community partners and numerous volunteers including the Town of Chestertown via the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), the Kent County Health Department, ShoreRivers River Friendly Yards Program, Phillips & Donovan Architects, Jay Yerkes of Rosin Creek Collaborative, Morris Goldsborough, and John Shorter, this outcome would not have been possible.
“We had an ARPA Task Force that looked at the different funds,” says Chestertown Mayor, Meghan Efland. “And we were really happy to provide them for this kind of attainable housing project. I’m excited for the two families that get to have deeper roots in the community by having a home here.”
KHS states these newly completed homes represent a significant milestone in their mission to expand quality, attainable housing opportunities throughout Kent County, and that they are currently in the planning stages for their next initiative in Butlertown where they anticipate breaking ground this fall.
4 Responses
Simply because I have no concept at all as to what “affordable housing” is, I would like to inquire as to what price a family is going to pay for the described home. Is the fortunate family also going to be paying county property taxes and (if in a municipality) also pay town property taxes?
Only because I have no idea as to what constitutes “affordable housing”, can someone express that number in dollars? Is the fortunate persons who gets this home also going to pay county property taxes? Town property taxes if it is located within a municipality?
Bravo! Well done and a great start.
I am writing on behalf of Kent Attainable Housing (KAH) to provide some clarifications regarding the funding and operations of our recent duplex project in Chestertown.
Funding for this duplex totaled approximately $500,000 and was drawn from several sources. Please note that the $810,000 federal grant mentioned in the recent article was a package intended for four homes, only a portion of which was allocated to this specific project. Additional support was provided by MD DHCD Neighborhood Revitalization grants and the Town of Chestertown through its ARPA funding. The remaining balance was covered by $59,700 in private donations. Regarding these donations, contributors received state tax credits equal to 50% of their gift, totaling $29,850. This credit amount was unfortunately misreported at the event as being double the donation rather than half.
Regarding our program, any working family earning between 30-80% of the Area Median Income (AMI) for Kent County is eligible to apply. Applicants must qualify for a mortgage that does not exceed 30% of their gross monthly income, which is the “affordability threshold” lenders and the government use. To make up any difference, KAH homes often carry a second, subordinate lien that is forgiven over a twenty-year period. In exchange for this subsidy, families complete “sweat equity” by volunteering for KAH in various capacities.
Finally, I would like to clarify that Kent Attainable Housing and our homeowners pay all standard state and local property taxes. No tax abatements are applied to these properties.
Best regards,
Kim Righi, Executive Director
Kent Attainable Housing, Inc.
office@kentattainablehousing.org