Dayton Children’s Hospital is building a $13 million housing project, which will help people raising children on behalf of family or friends who are unable.
The 26, three-bedroom units will be available for rent to kinship families by the end of next year. Dayton Children's officials believe it is the first hospital in the country to offer this kind of project in partnership with the community.
"We're excited to bring that kind of project to Dayton, and we're really excited about what it's going to do for the families that will be able to live there," said Jessica Salem, executive director of the Center for Health Equity at Dayton Children's Hospital.
Funding for the project came from the city of Dayton housing funds, federal COVID relief money, Montgomery County and more.
“We also got some funding through the Housing and Urban Development Community Project Funding program," Salem said. "So the project really came together because we were able to pull funding from all of these different sources.”
Housing can often be a challenge for kinship families.
"Just put yourself in the shoes of maybe a grandparent who maybe has retired from the workforce and is on a little bit more strict income in retirement, and then all of a sudden has children to take care of. That can be a bit of a challenge," Salem said.
According to Salem, stable and affordable housing plays a major role in children’s health and wellbeing.
“We often say that about 80% of a child's health has to do with everything beyond the walls of health care, beyond the walls of the hospital. So it is where kids live, learn, play and where adults work, right," she said. "And so housing tends to be something that we really focus on just for a lot of different reasons.”
The homes are close to local schools, parks and Dayton Children’s Hospital.
"We also are going to have a community room space on site," Salem said. "So we're really seeing an opportunity for different organizations to come in and give classes and other learning opportunities for families on site through that community space."
Salem said they plan to recruit eligible families to move in by the end of 2025. Wallet Communities is the property manager for the future development.
