Thrive West Central pilot program celebrates first home
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The Wabash River Regional Development Authority and Thrive West Central are celebrating a new homebuilding pilot initiative.
Tours were recently given of the first house to be built under the Homes for the Future Pilot Program, a five-county, $1.8 million effort to incentivize developers to to build age-friendly homes.
The program—selected by the Wabash RDA to receive state READI funds—specifically seeks to encourage market-rate, sustainable housing within Clay, Parke, Sullivan, Vermillion and Vigo counties.
The pilot allowed developers and homebuilders to apply for funding to cover up to 10% of building costs and has spurred additional investments from the city of Terre Haute and Vigo County.
“We know from various sources and the most recent housing study conducted for West Central Indiana that every form of housing is needed,” Wabash River RDA Board Chair Jon Ford said in a news release. “Although this is the start of an exciting and important initiative, we have much more to accomplish in housing.”
The first Homes for the Future house was built in Terre Haute. Thrive West Central is continuing the program with a second round regionally and a similar program serving Vigo County.
“We know there are lots of job openings with great promise for additional economic vitality for our region, but these workers need places to live,” Thrive West Central Executive Director Ryan Keller said. “We are taking one part of the plan at a time and moving the needle along with other partners in the process.”
More information about the Homes for the Future Program is available online at thrivewestcentral.com/community/homesforthefuture.