In a message emailed on July 12, 2022 to leaders from across the county invited to be a part of a steering committee that will work in partnership with The Housing Resource Hub, aka “the HUB”, Be Noble explained:

“As you know, Noble County has been experiencing a serious shortage of affordable housing. While there are many contributing factors, the EDC (Be Noble) is convinced that this shortage significantly contributes to our inability to grow the population and workforce. To meet this challenge head-on, we have launched an effort to do three things:

• Identify sites that are appropriate for residential development
• Identify pre-development opportunities that would make the sites more attractive to developers
• Identify partnership-based financing strategies that can result in significant new housing development

Given the urgency, we have contracted with The Housing Resource Hub (aka “the Hub”) to help navigate the residential development world. The team at the Hub will do much of the heavy lifting as we move forward. To ensure success, however, we must have the right people at the table to guide the effort and ensure readiness to take advantage of development opportunities when presented. This is why we are pulling together the Housing Coalition of Noble County, a leadership team to guide the effort. Who serves on this team will be critical; we need bold, visionary people who see the opportunity for Noble County to grow and effectively compete for housing developments, much in the same manner as we compete for industrial developments. I am asking you to be a part of the Coalition, because I value your interest in Noble County’s housing needs and your passion for seeing Noble County grow!

The first meeting of the Coalition will be on Tuesday, August 23rd at 11 AM (more details to follow). Thereafter, the Coalition will meet monthly (with virtual options available when needed) to drive the effort forward over the next 24 months. Members will be asked for input on topics such as sites that may be appropriate for residential development, barriers to development that need attention, strategies for getting communities involved in development efforts, and financing strategies to make sites attractive to large scale developers. The button below links to the landing page on the Be Noble website where more information is available and will continue to be shared going forward.”

As the project moves forward, there are likely to be additional opportunities for interested members of the community to engage in this process. Follow the progress of this effort at https://www.noblecountyedc.com/housing and direct any questions to Be Noble Inc. at (260) 636-3800.