Three women in Johnson County, Kansas, will have a safe, affordable home thanks to help from an Affordable Housing Program (AHP) grant.
Friends of Johnson County Developmental Supports (JCDS) helps individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities be successful, specifically by helping them with housing. In partnership with FHLBank member Capitol Federal Savings, Friends of JCDS received a $533,785 AHP grant to support the rehabilitation and new construction of seven rental homes across Johnson County for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
FHLBank staff joined Friends of JCDS and other community partners for a ribbon cutting on the last of the seven homes in Merriam, Kansas. The home, in the heart of an established residential neighborhood was designed by Kansas State University’s Net Positive Studio, a program for graduate students in the College of Architecture, Planning and Design.
“Net positive” refers to the energy use in the house. Through the use of solar panels, the hope is that a well-designed, compact home will require only a modest amount of solar power to offset or exceed the amount of energy it uses.
The home in Merriam includes solar panels but also has other small touches to fit the preferences of its three new residents. Each bedroom is painted in a color chosen by its inhabitant. Accessible raised garden beds line the back patio. One resident prefers to take baths, so the normal practice of walk-in showers was adjusted to include a bathtub.
“We also included a designated dance space since the three residents love to have dance parties,” said Janel Bowers, Chief Executive Officer of Friends of JCDS. The dance space is a nook between the living room and one of the bedrooms. “I wish we could have put a disco ball in there, too,” Janel added.
The seven homes, built and refurbished with help from the AHP grant, will house 24 individuals. This was the second AHP grant Friends of JCDS secured. In 2017, they used a $750,000 grant to rehabilitate 13 homes to address accessibility and functionality issues for aging residents.
