Family gets Welcome Home in Sandusky
First owner occupied house under city affordable housing program nearly finished
SANDUSKY — The first of as many as 30 new homes to be built in the city was dedicated Wednesday during welcome home that felt a little bit like a scene out of the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life.”
In this take, however, it wasn’t George Bailey representing the old Building & Loan at the new Mantini home; it was city officials and Sandusky residents celebrating with Hannah Smith, a bus garage administrative assistant with Sandusky Schools, and her family, husband Justin, and three children — including nine-year-old twins.
In short order, they will be moving from a camper they have been living in for the past few months into their new home in the 1500 block of Pierce Street near Sandusky Rec at Mills School.
“With this program to reduce the cost of the home, we’ve made home ownership possible for some very well qualified individuals,” city commission President Dick Brady told a crowd of about 100 people at the dedication.
“This program isn’t just about building houses. It’s about building futures. It’s about fostering stability, and it’s about strengthening our community. That’s what home ownership does. It strengthens your community. Sandusky is proud to be the poster child for this program. I think we’re the first community out of the box on this program. And if it gets refunded, which we hope that it will, we’ll get back in the box and get out of it again.”
Sandusky community development director Colleen Gilson, who has spearheaded the Welcome Home program for the city, was among those who spoke during the welcome home ceremony on Wednesday.
“It means a lot, because I want to move into a house now, I’m tired of living in that camper,” Smith’s youngest told staytunedsandusky.com.
Funding and development: The City of Sandusky received a $3.5 million grant through the Welcome Home Ohio program, which is part of a $100 million statewide initiative to enhance affordable housing across Ohio. The grant will facilitate the construction of 14 new single-family homes and support rehabilitation projects in collaboration with Habitat for Humanity.