Delaware Creative Housing

It has been two full years since updating our web site and I know there is no way of filling you in on everything but please allow me to hit some of the exciting highlights of the past two years.

I began in this position as a staff member of the Delaware County Board of Developmental Disabilities. We managed property for the Board and for individuals with Developmental Disabilities, and we still do. Our mission was simple and remains intact today. Delaware Creative Housing will provide housing opportunities and options for people with disabilities and special needs.

At that time and in my message to you in 2002 I wrote “Currently we only serve Delaware County Ohio but are not bound to any specific area. I would consider us a young agency. Although we were established in 1991 our first employee started, full-time in January 2002. Prior to this a representative of the Delaware County Board of Developmental Disabilities would serve on the board of trustees and facilitate any functions needed. One project at a time we grew. Over 10 years we created 9 properties, providing housing to approximately 40 individuals. This past year we have purchased 1 property and are in contract to build 2 additional homes. Properties are located throughout the county and we aspire to provide services in other counties as we grow.”

Today Delaware Creative Housing owns 24 properties, serving the housing needs of over 75 individuals in both Delaware and Union Counties.

Our staff has grown from one Executive Director in 2002 to five fulltime positions and several contracted part time positions.

Janet moved into this position in January 2007 and hit the ground running. Her previous working experience with school systems and city government has brought tremendous strength to our management team. Janet coordinates all our HUD projects, files, reviews and trainings, she oversees all tenant/lease issues and works closely with tenants families and county board staff. Additionally, Janet works closely with the controller and accounts receivable and she works very closely with the maintenance department where both she and Dan Welsh, maintenance supervisor, share the mutual goal of “our properties being the best on the block”. Needless to say this is a very busy and important position and Janet is top notch at it all.

Most recently we welcomed Jeremy Fetty to our team. Jeremy is the maintenance supervisor and started with Delaware Creative Housing in March 05'. We look forward to a long and positive relationship

Property Management has grown dramatically over the past year and has become a very successful component of “what we do”.

Providing housing to people with disabilities is the cornerstone of this agency, however it is not always what people need. There are times when individuals really need their current living situation to be improved or modified to make it a success. They don’t need to move, they need their house to be made their home. With that in mind, In October 03’ we hired Mr. Ryan Morgan.

Mr. Morgan is an engineer and was hired to oversee the design and installation of environmental modifications. We had no idea the need for this was so great and have been scrambling ever since to keep up with the requests for modifications. Providing ramps, bathrooms, doorway widening, grab bars, etc., we have established a new Division of the company called “Creative Living Systems”. I projected 35 projects our first year, and granted this was a guess, I never would have guessed that in the last nine months alone we would have completed over 100 projects, in over 20 Counties throughout Ohio. We are an approved provider for three different Medicaid Waivers and have submitted our application for a fourth. We stand by our projects, guaranteeing workmanship is easy when what you provide far exceeds the norm. Additionally, we have been hired to consult for both private and public entities and we administer the County Boards’ “Accessibility Grant” in Delaware County.

In June 04' we welcomed Gay Corbett who took on the role of Controller. As we grew, as we provided more services, as we entered into agreements with many entities we quickly realized that an experienced and well organized individual was wise for us to seek. In one year we grew to having over 250 vendors, 50 community landlords receiving rent subsidies, 6 additional properties for the Union County Board of MR/DD and the management of 2 HUD projects.

Janet Naticchia, Administrative Assistant, hit the ground running in May 2005. Janet has a wealth of knowledge in many administrative areas. Much of her time is spent assisting the controller, working with accounts receivable, vendors, billing as well as assisting each department manager with budgeting, creating planning tools for them as well as billing.

Kenny Beckwith joins the maintenance team in October, 2005. Kenny has many years of experience in commercial lawn care and as we bring in lawn care and snow removal to the list of services we offer our tenants, Kenny is proving to be a major asset. Additionally, he will assist the maintenance supervisor with daily operations and property needs.