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Dayton invests in local organization to repair 100 low-income homes

Five Oaks neighborhood sign
Desmond Winton-Finklea
/
WYSO
The City of Dayton selected the neighborhoods on a needs-basis.

A nonprofit will restore up to 100 homes in Dayton. That’s thanks to $1.8 million dollars from the city’s share of the American Rescue Plan Act. Rebuilding Together Dayton will use the grant to repair homes in six lower-income Dayton neighborhoods.

The money will be reinvested in the Wolf Creek, Carillon, Edgemont, Miami Chapel, Five Oaks, and Old North Dayton neighborhoods.

The goal is to stabilize these neighborhoods and aid residents living in unsafe conditions. This will be done through plumbing, electrical, and structural work.

The city selected the neighborhoods on a needs-basis.

“The neighborhoods were chosen because they feel that if these neighborhoods just received a little bit extra attention, then they could really turn the page with their progress in all areas,” Amy Radachi, the CEO of Rebuilding Together Dayton, said.

The work on the homes will be done by contractors, organizations, and volunteers hired by Rebuilding Together Dayton on behalf of the homeowner. The repairs will take place over the next three to four years.

The process for Rebuilding Together Dayton to be selected for the grant was a long one.

Around a year ago, the organization submitted a grant application. Since then, Radachi spent a lot of time reviewing contracts, meeting with city officials, and making sure every i is dotted and every t crossed.

Last Wednesday, Radachi learned her organization had been approved for a grant.

“To be honest, I cried,” she said. “It was so much work and it’s going to be such an impact for the people that we serve, and it’s such a significant amount of money that we don’t see regularly.”

She continued, “I’ve done this for 27 years. So, to have my work be acknowledged in that regard, that the city has faith in us to do this with the funding that has been allocated, it really means a lot.”

The money comes from the city of Dayton’s share of the federal American Rescue Plan Act.

Garrett is a WYSO intern and graduate of University of Dayton. He spent time covering the Dayton area with WDTN Channel 2 News after the 2019 Memorial Day Tornado outbreak. It was around this time that he began listening to NPR and fell in love with radio-based journalism. Garrett graduated from UD in May of 2021 with his Bachelor’s in Communications with a focus in journalism and graduated in May of 2022 with his Master’s. While not working at WYSO, Garrett is an avid reader, loves to play video games, and hanging out with his friends.