This is the first of a two-part series on affordable housing in Columbus.
Mattias Minarsch leads a group of about half a dozen Habitat For Humanity volunteers putting the finishing touches on a home in Linden.
鈥淪o this is all going to be living area, like I said, and then if we walk over here, we鈥檝e got the master bedroom on the first floor,鈥� Minarsch says.
He continues down the hallway and looks out the back door.
鈥淎s you can see it gets a garage, as well," Minarsch says. "Big property for this one here, so they have a big play area if they have kids.鈥�
Affordable housing is a nagging problem throughout the country, and a in Columbus. The federal government defines "low income" as a household earning 20 percent less than the local median income. In Columbus, low income for a family of four is $61,000 a year.
To get to affordable housing, that family should spend no more than a third of its income on utilities and rent or mortgage payments, which comes to about $1,500 a month.
But many households can鈥檛 even afford that, says E.J. Thomas, director of
鈥淲e鈥檙e the only game in town for home ownership for 30 to 60 percent area median income folks,鈥� Thomas says. 鈥淣o one else is doing that. We have mortgages at 0 percent so they can afford those homes.鈥�
Funding for affordable housing comes from a variety of sources, but much of it originates with the federal government and flows through the state or the city. Thomas emphasizes SHOP funds鈥攁 pool of federal dollars limited to nonprofits that Habitat uses to help prepare sites.