All posts by Andrea Davis

Updates under way at Historic Pleasant Street homes

Construction crews are about halfway done reviving three HAND-owned houses on Historic Pleasant Street, a $1.4 million development that will create four affordable two-bedroom rental units for working families.

Two of the units will be reserved for residents who earn no more than 60 percent of area median income, or about $58,000 for a family of four. One will be reserved for residents earning up to 50 percent AMI, and one is for residents earning up to 40 percent AMI.

The city of Noblesville donated the vacant houses to HAND in 2022, after the city’s Pleasant Street extension was rerouted to bypass the historic Plum Prairie neighborhood.

HAND’s initial plans called for renovating the homes, but 630 Historic Pleasant (right) will be demolished due to structural damage. That work is scheduled for Jan. 26, and construction of a new home on the site (below middle) will begin soon after.

Meanwhile, renovations continue at 544/546 Historic Pleasant (below left), which will remain a duplex, and at 648 Historic Pleasant (below right), which is being made ADA accessible. The State Historic Preservation Office signed off on the rehabilitation work and the new construction.

HAND’s Plum Prairie development won $880,000 in HOME funding from the Indiana Housing & Community Development Authority, and Hamilton County awarded the project almost $305,000 in Community Development Block Grant funds.

Additional funding came from Lake City Bank and MIBOR Realtor Foundation’s Economic and Community Development Council.

Construction is expected to be complete by mid-2024.

Brenner Design Architects is the architect for the development. Home Experts Indy is the general contractor.

rendering of remodeled and new homes

Let there be walls!

After years of planning and months of site work, Cumberland Cottages has gone vertical.

HAND Inc.’s first development in Fishers is taking shape at the southwest corner of Cumberland Road and 141st Street, as crews begin framing 11 two-story rental units clustered around a shared courtyard.

Construction is expected to be complete by June 2024.

Six of the two- and three-bedroom homes will be reserved for residents who earn no more than 60 percent of area median income, or about $58,000 for a family of four; their rents will be based on household income and size.

Funders for the $4.6 million project include the Indiana Housing & Community Development Authority, Citizens State Bank, IMPACT Central Indiana, and the Crosser Family Foundation.

Once the site of a farmhouse, the property had only a garage remaining when HAND acquired it. That was demolished this summer before crews began building interior roads and other site infrastructure.

A June 15 groundbreaking ceremony marked the start of construction nearly two years after IHCDA awarded HAND $2 million for the project.

When work was delayed due rising construction costs, HAND secured a $1.4 million low-interest loan from IMPACT Central Indiana, the impact-investing affiliate of Hamilton County Community Foundation and Central Indiana Community Foundation.

Founded in 2003, HAND is based in Noblesville. It leases a total of 142 rental homes to low- and moderate-income residents in Hamilton, Boone, and Tipton counties.

Citizens State Bank launches Good Neighbor program

Our friends at Citizens State Bank aren’t just loyal Trivia Night sponsors (and two-time Trivia Night winners, if we’re keeping track).

And they are more than bankers, even though they provided the initial project funding for HAND’s newest development in Fishers.

They are also committed to our community.

So we’re thrilled that they are offering to give HAND $50 for every new checking account opened in their Fishers or Carmel offices until March 31! And you’ll get a free gift too..

Just stop by a branch and ask about the Good Neighbor program.

Trivia Night raises almost $30K for HAND

It may have been in a new location and a little later than usual, but HAND Trivia Night presented by Citizens State Bank was a big success this year.

Ticket sales, table sponsorships, raffle ticket sales, and donations at the Dec. 1 event totaled almost $30,000, helping HAND continue to provide safe, affordable housing to low- and moderate-income residents.

This year’s fundraiser was held at the Delaware Township Community Center in Fishers, less than two miles from where HAND is building 11 rental cottages.

Guests enjoyed a team trivia competition hosted by Indy’s Live Trivia, along with a dinner buffet and cash bar provided by Jonathan Byrd’s Catering.

In addition to Citizens State Bank, the event’s top sponsors included Lake City Bank, Good Works Indy, and Merchants Bank of Indiana.

Save the date for next year’s HAND Trivia Night: Nov. 15, 2024!

Citizens State Bank returns as top Trivia Night sponsor

HAND’s most popular event is scheduled for Dec. 1 with one big change: the location. This year’s team trivia competition will be held at the Delaware Township Community Center in Fishers.

But HAND Trivia Night will be the same big fun as past years.

Citizens State Bank is back as presenting sponsor (and defending champion), and Ryan from Indy’s Live Trivia will again put your wits to the test with five rounds of general-knowledge questions. There’s also a cash bar and a chance to win fabulous raffle prizes!

Registration is open, but there’s still time to put together your eight-person team. The highest-scoring trivia team will be rewarded, of course, and we have some fun surprises in store for everyone.

Interested in a sponsorship opportunity? Email Andrea Davis today.

Many thanks to our early sponsors: