Habitat for Humanity recently celebrated the completion of the Reckford Wood Subdivision in Oxford located off US 27, marking a significant milestone in the city’s efforts to provide affordable housing. The project, which consists of 20 single-story homes, is now fully completed, with the final two homes scheduled for sale this December.
According to assistant city manager Jessica Greene, The Reckford Wood Subdivision has been in development for over a decade, with the initial planning stages beginning in 2010.
Habitat for Humanity is a nonprofit organization working to create “a world where everyone has a decent place to live.” As a result of rising costs of housing and rent in Oxford, Habitat for Humanity partnered with the City of Oxford to create opportunities for these residents looking for more affordable living.
Some other annual partners that were recognized as part of their celebration included Butler County, The Greater Oxford Community Foundation, seasonal corporate sponsors like PNG, AuguStar and Federal Home Loan Bank.
These three and four bedroom homes are built with energy efficiency, meaning they offer lower energy bills for homeowners. More typically, these homes are used as training houses for other construction companies who want to learn how to build homes.
Homeowner from Reckford Wood, Ian Bailey, spoke at the dedication event hosted Nov. 16 on the development of the neighborhood and project success.
Bailey’s family are a proud Reckford neighbor who moved from Over the Rhine in Cincinnati, according to his presentation in the recognition. Bailey’s energy is one of a kind when speaking about his interactions with his new neighbors in the town.
“That’s the kind of community we are,” he said. “We are close.”
Bailey spoke about his interactions with his new neighbors, sharing how the community feels close-knit and welcoming. The Reckford Wood subdivision started in 2010 is the largest housing settlement to date.
A common misconception about Habitat for Humanity in Greater Cincinnati is that homes are simply given away. According to Sarah Reynolds, Habitat for Humanity’s model helps families achieve homeownership by offering affordable mortgages with no down payments and zero percent interest. Homebuyers are also required to contribute by helping build their homes, making the process more accessible for those who would otherwise struggle to afford a traditional home.
“For many families before they were spending a significant percentage of their income on housing costs and now since they have purchased their homes in Oxford in our subdivision, they are now able to focus on other things like increasing their education or getting more job training, saving for retirement…” said Reynolds.
As the City of Oxford continues to tackle the challenges of affordable housing, Greene said the city is excited to partner with Habitat for Humanity again on future developments, including a new workforce housing project on Chestnut Street. These homes will be connected townhomes with some communal green space.
“One of the things habitat does really well is make home ownership attainable,” she said. “It lets people who otherwise may not be able to buy a home, be able to get into that market.”
The top three qualifications to purchase a home in this subdivision with Habitat include:
- Residents must be earning between 30-80% of Area Median Income (a government set standard depending on family size)
- Residents must demonstrate a need for housing: Example includes living in an unsafe area or a crowded or unaffordable home
- Residents must be willing to partner with Habitat: attending home ownership classes and building your house. Homeowners typically spend between 200-300 hours on-site building their homes.
Additionally, long-term local Oxford volunteer, James Lipnickey also shared his contribution with the project with Habitat and his overall commitment to the extensive work done for the town with similar projects in the past.
After retiring from the navy, he said he wanted to give back to the community and his construction background strengthened his interest for Habitat.
“I think this is a big deal when you look at 20 families making it close to 100 people,” Lipnickey said. “That’s unreal and it’s pretty exciting. Habitat for Humanity Cincinnati embraced this project and it’s been a wonderful experience and many others.”
According to national affordable housing data, the chances of kids going to school and graduating college are much higher when moving to a safe place. Lipnickey as well as the entire team in Habitat fully support this project and believe in its impact on the life changing opportunities it can bring to families in need.
“We can all come from different walks of life, different backgrounds,” Bailey said. “But I know one thing – we all come together to live on this one cul-de-sac. So let’s make it work.”
