YWCA Hamilton asks Butler County for $400,000 comfort letter toward $11M supportive-housing project
September 06, 2026 | Butler County, Ohio
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Wendy Waters, executive director of YWCA Hamilton, asked the Butler County Board of Commissioners for a county comfort letter and potential county HOME funds to help secure financing for a proposed $11,037,000 permanent supportive housing development at 1570 Grand Boulevard.
"We have a proposed project for a low income housing tax credit grant application...to build an $11,000,000 new campus," Waters said, describing a 41–unit one-bedroom project targeting chronically homeless single adults with serious mental illness and/or substance use disorders. She said the project's capital stack includes approximately $9,900,000 in low-income housing tax credit equity, a $1,000,000 Federal Home Loan Bank commitment, deferred developer fees, and requested a $400,000 comfort level from Butler County to assist with property purchase.
Waters told commissioners the YWCA currently operates 31 single-room-occupancy apartments and runs supportive services (case management, counseling, psychiatry, substance-abuse treatment, primary care, transportation and job skills). She said Butler County ranked highest in the region for need and cited a 2019 point-in-time count showing 298 individuals and 223 households experiencing homelessness in the county.
She outlined a funding and construction timeline: close loans and grants in April 2021, begin construction in May 2021, complete construction around September 2022 and start lease-up in December 2022. Waters asked the board for a comfort letter because the tax credit application was due that Friday and an understanding letter was a component of the submission.
Commissioners asked about site selection, city involvement and how the proposal fits into broader permanent supportive housing and crisis-care planning; Waters said the site scored well under HUD criteria (proximity to transit and amenities such as a nearby Kroger) and that the YWCA had engaged partners including The Model Group (developer), Ohio Capital Association (syndicator) and City Studios Architecture (design).
No formal vote on county funding was recorded at the meeting; Waters said she would provide commissioners with the list of other sites considered. The request for a comfort letter remained a county action item for follow-up.
"We have a proposed project for a low income housing tax credit grant application...to build an $11,000,000 new campus," Waters said, describing a 41–unit one-bedroom project targeting chronically homeless single adults with serious mental illness and/or substance use disorders. She said the project's capital stack includes approximately $9,900,000 in low-income housing tax credit equity, a $1,000,000 Federal Home Loan Bank commitment, deferred developer fees, and requested a $400,000 comfort level from Butler County to assist with property purchase.
Waters told commissioners the YWCA currently operates 31 single-room-occupancy apartments and runs supportive services (case management, counseling, psychiatry, substance-abuse treatment, primary care, transportation and job skills). She said Butler County ranked highest in the region for need and cited a 2019 point-in-time count showing 298 individuals and 223 households experiencing homelessness in the county.
She outlined a funding and construction timeline: close loans and grants in April 2021, begin construction in May 2021, complete construction around September 2022 and start lease-up in December 2022. Waters asked the board for a comfort letter because the tax credit application was due that Friday and an understanding letter was a component of the submission.
Commissioners asked about site selection, city involvement and how the proposal fits into broader permanent supportive housing and crisis-care planning; Waters said the site scored well under HUD criteria (proximity to transit and amenities such as a nearby Kroger) and that the YWCA had engaged partners including The Model Group (developer), Ohio Capital Association (syndicator) and City Studios Architecture (design).
No formal vote on county funding was recorded at the meeting; Waters said she would provide commissioners with the list of other sites considered. The request for a comfort letter remained a county action item for follow-up.
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