Over 50 representatives from across Noble County came together on Friday, April 21 for the Noble County Housing Symposium, hosted by Be Noble Inc. and the Housing Resource Hub at the Community Learning Center auditorium in Kendallville.
The gathering marked a key milestone in the process of building a Noble County Housing Strategy, the objective of the Housing Coalition of Noble County, a group established in late 2022 following the signing of a contract to partner with the Hub.
“Housing is widely recognized as the biggest barrier to growing our population and workforce. Unlike our neighbors, Noble is experiencing a clear population decline. This symposium is a critical step in identifying what the market wants and what barriers we face in attracting developers to build it. We are excited about the next steps to develop and strategy and market the opportunities.”
Melanie Kellogg, Executive Director, Be Noble Inc.
During the symposium, Hub CEO and President Heather Presley-Cowen shared data outlining the county’s housing market potential.
“So much housing market potential exists for Noble County. It takes committed leadership to take the bold next step to begin to understand what’s keeping housing development from happening, and more importantly to then do something about it. That’s where
Heather Presley-Cowen, CEO and President, Housing Resource Hub
this community is headed and it’s very exciting!”
According to the report by Zimmerman/Volk Associations, 2,295 households of all incomes are looking to move within and to Noble County every year. Communities that take action and support new housing development can help Noble County absorb 1,130 – 1,526 new housing units over the next 5 years.
The Housing Coalition of Noble County urges all community stakeholders, including residents and commuters, to share their housing dreams by visiting the community’s housing strategy landing page. More information is and will continue to be shared on Be Noble’s website as well.
