Starting in the spring of this year, MHP staff began providing community development technical assistance to Buckeye Ridge Habitat for Humanity in Marion, Ohio. This Habitat is a dynamic social service and rural housing nonprofit organization that develops/rehabilitates affordable homes for families in four rural counties of Ohio, just east of the Appalachian Region. In partnership, Buckeye and MHP are determining target communities for affordable housing unit creation, developing a strategic action plan that will include multiple years of development on sites throughout the service area, and identifying funding sources to support the developments. MHP staff are providing tools to enhance project planning, assign resources, and demonstrate project feasibility (like project proformas). MHP is helping Buckeye access funding through multiple sources such as local CDFIs, the Federal Home Loan Bank, and various loan/grant products from the Ohio Housing Finance Agency. This project also includes developing a revolving predevelopment funding pool and exploring opportunities to expand Buckeye’s homeownership education and counseling impact across the community. MHP staff are thrilled to be a part of this amazing project!