061224_GYS_2024_WEB

16 2O24–2O2 5 GU I D E to Y E L LOW S P R I NG S In 2023, affordable hous - ing nonprofit YS Home, Inc. reached two major milestones: The first phase of its upcom - ing 32-unit combined senior rental and all-ages, for-sale townhome housing develop- ment, The Cascades, was fully funded — and the nonprofit celebrated its 25th anniver- sary. Home, Inc. has been work - ing to establish increased senior housing in the village for more than a decade — and the nonprofit’s successful first step toward making that long-held vision a reality is no doubt a fine way to celebrate 25 years. It’s also a testament to the patience and fortitude on which Home, Inc. was built. Though met with resistance and roadblocks over the years, the nonprofit’s efforts to create an ever-widening 25 YEARS OF HOME FOR ALL By LAUREN 'CHUCK' SHOWS ▲ The first house purchased and rehabbed by Home, Inc. in 2001, on North High Street. The two- room home was cut in half, as shown, and new rooms built around it by crews of volunteers overseen by local contractor Chris Glaser, second from right. The home, now housing its fourth family, was designed by local architect Patty Rice. pool of permanently afford - able homes have remained constant. BUILDING HOME In 1995, the seeds of the soon-to-be-grown Home, Inc. were sown — to start with, on somewhat rocky ground. That year, then-Village Council members Deborah Benning and Don Hollister recommended that affordable housing become a priority for the Village. To illustrate their commitment to that priority, Hollister and Benning, along with then-Township trustee Roger Lurie, signed articles of incorporation for “Yellow Springs Home Inc,” in order to, as the document reads: “Help long-term Yellow Springs community members remain in the area; to maintain economic diversity in Yellow Springs; to promote racial integration in Yellow Springs; [and] to encourage the neighborly rela- tions best achieved in a small village.” The action came amid discussions around building affordable homes on Village- owned Glass Farm land on King Street. Local residents Susan Stiles and Ilse Teb - betts — who would go on to become longtime Home, Inc. board members — had helped secure more than $1 million in funding to subsidize low- interest mortgages for homes that could have been built on the Village property. “And there was an uproar in the community about that,” Marianne MacQueen told the News in a 2023 interview. MacQueen was a member of Home, Inc.’s first all-volunteer board when it officially became a nonprofit in 1998 and, later, its first executive director. 937-767-9330 110 Dayton St. Wed.–Sun. Noon–5 pm Appointments available during closed hours — Full line of Accessories — — Authorized TREK Dealer — — Sales & Service — www.vcbikes.com vilcyclery@woh.rr.com (Visit us on Facebook!) SERVING BIKE ENTHUSIASTS IN YELLOW SPRINGS & THE MIAMI VALLEY SINCE 1987 DON’T MISS THIS FUN SHOP! EMPORIUM 253C Xenia Ave. (Across from US Bank, down the alley) Unique Artisan Treasures  Something for Everyone HEAVENLY TREASURES FOR EARTHLY BODIES