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Expanding Our Impact

Project Highlight- 1270-1272 Atcheson

AHT is providing funding to Dream Living LLC for the acquisition and rehabilitation of 1270-1272 Atcheson, a townhome-style duplex on the near east side. 


In addition to investing in the creation of new units, part of AHT’s mission is to preserve affordable housing. Projects like this serve as a perfect example of that preservation. By rehabilitating these two units, Dream Living is not only enhancing the physical space but also committed to keeping these units affordable for years to come.

   

Dream Living LLC is owned and managed by Gamal and Amelea Harding. Gamal is a member of the first Emerging Developers Accelerator Program (EDAP) cohort. He is a licensed general contractor and real estate agent. In February 2022, he left a twenty-year career working in the corporate sector to pursue his real estate development and property management goals fulltime. Dream Living current owns three properties comprising five units, all of them serving residents at 60-70% AMI and two which house residents with Housing Choice Vouchers. Over the past five years, Dream Living has renovated and managed the renovations of over 100 properties. 

CEO Reflections 

AHT New Hire 

As the Director of Lending for AHT, David is responsible for the oversight of all housing development loan applications and the lending function. David has nearly 20 years of affordable housing experience with national tax credit syndicators specializing in Section 42 Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) as well as state and historic tax credit equity financing. He has underwritten various property types including senior and/or supportive housing, single-family scattered sites, mixed income and mixed use developments, single room occupancy, and various governmental loan and/or subsidy programs.


While with GMAC, David relocated to Denver to establish and manage a new underwriting team which facilitated the successful closing of more than 40 transactions representing over $150 million of invested equity and $275 million in debt financing in less than two years. He has also worked as a market analyst, traveling to various markets throughout the country to evaluate proposed investments, and was also employed by a national commercial real estate valuation firm specializing in the valuation of multi-family affordable housing developments.


David earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Finance degree from The Ohio State University. He also served eight years in the U.S. Army as an intelligence analyst and linguist, and was deployed to Southwest Asia during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. In his free time, David enjoys travelling, hiking, and exploring Columbus’ Metro Park system. He is an avid cook and cookbook collector.

2023 AHT Center for Housing Innovation Grantee Awards

The mission of the Affordable Housing Trust for Columbus and Franklin County is to create and preserve adequate affordable housing and to stabilize local neighborhoods. AHT accomplishes this mission by making investments in nonprofit and for-profit developers who produce affordable housing opportunities in the Columbus and Franklin County area. AHT recognizes that the production of affordable housing units is only one part of the solution in transforming underserved communities. For affordable housing initiatives to be successful, these efforts must be accompanied by other sustainability and community focused programs and strategies.


One such program is the AHT Grant Program for Housing Innovation. This grant program utilizes a two-pronged approach that provides funding for home repair programs and funding for non-production housing-related initiatives to nonprofit and community development organizations.


In 2023 AHT is investing over $310,000 in 10 organizations to support their innovative projects and programs that support the existing housing infrastructure of our community.


Congratulations to the 2023 Grantees:
Central Community House
Community Housing Network
Franklinton Rising
Gertrude Wood Community Foundation
Habitat for Humanity MidOhio
Healthy Homes
Homeport
LifeCare Alliance
MORPC
Star House

Click here to learn more about AHT’s Center for Housing Innovation Grant Program.

We're Hiring 


Staff Accountant

Let's Talk   

Are you a developer interested in partnering with us, or do you know one who should be? Check out our FAQs here or email our Director of Lending David Butcher: david@hztrust.org

March 18, 2024
Leveraging Our Impact
December 5, 2023
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