Greene County News
YELLOW SPRINGS — Yellow Springs Home, Inc. invites the public to join in a celebration of its 20th community land trust home from 5-7 p.m. Friday, July 15 at 422 North High St.
Come to celebrate the mission to strengthen community and income diversity in Yellow Springs through permanently affordable housing with a community potluck. If planning to attend, Yellow Springs Home Inc. asks that individuals RSVP with what dish they’ll be bringing to Brittany Parsons at [email protected].
James Luckett, Tanya Maus and their young son August are thrilled and grateful to purchase their first home and to put down their roots in Yellow Springs. Luckett works at an independent bookstore in Xenia and is a photographer, while Maus runs a nonprofit peace resource center. Their son, August, is two and half and is delighted to learn he will soon have his own room.
Located on North High Street, the home is a cape cod style with four bedrooms, one bath and a wrap-around porch. It was purchased at a real estate auction and has been rehabbed for this local family.
“A home means finally settling,” Maus said. “My husband and I have both been nomads (academically and artistically) for years and now we’ve found a community that we love. Purchasing through Home, Inc. means that we can settle and look toward the future.”
This home marks the 20 unit that Yellow Springs Home, Inc. has built or rehabbed, a milestone for the organization and affordable housing in the community of Yellow Springs, according to Yellow Springs Home Inc.
“Yellow Springs is a very welcoming and comfortable place for us, but it’s no surprise that it is relatively expensive, especially in regards to housing … I had heard about Home, Inc. through friends in the community and we decided to look into it and apply. Fortunately, everything fell into place for us and we were eligible for Home, Inc.’s program,” Maus said.
Home, Inc.’s first crowdfunding campaign designed by AmeriCorps VISTA Adam Abraham helped to pay for needed repairs. Much like Home, Inc.’s first project called “Let’s Build a House” in 2001, this campaign was a community effort to bring affordable housing to Yellow Springs. Home, Inc. as 47 individual donors helped to make the project possible.
“We’ve come full circle,” said Yellow Springs Home, Inc. executive director Emily Seibel. “It’s wonderful to see the grassroots support for this affordable home, and for this community mission. Thanks to the generosity of villagers, including those early volunteers that launched Home, Inc., we’re now celebrating our 20 permanently affordable home.”
Volunteers from Huntington National Bank, the community and Antioch College alongside homebuyer sweat equity further helped to reduce costs through removing kitchen flooring, removing old insulation in the attic, mowing the lawn during the rehab and general clean-up. Local contractor Bob McClain provided excavation services at a discount, further helping with affordability.
To learn about homes currently for sale and the homebuyer coaching program, or to become a member, visit Yellow Springs Home, Inc. on the web at www.yshome.org, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/YellowSpringsHomeInc.
