For the last 10 years, Indy-east Asset Development pushed for change in the neighborhoods on the near east side: more affordable housing, fewer vacant and abandoned homes, a greater sense of true community among residents. However, few people knew exactly what the organization did, and how they did it. On April 22 at the Community Luncheon, I-AD announced a bold new name, and a new direction for the organization’s efforts.
Renamed Near East Area Renewal, or NEAR for short, the organization’s focus is shifting to restoring communities one vacant home or building at a time. John Franklin Hay, the Executive Director of NEAR, said that the change also reflects what the group has realized over the past 10 years — that the people in the neighborhoods are the true assets to the near east side. “The community is developing. We’re poised to be a really great place to live and work. We’re near a growing downtown, near good neighbors — we have a lot going for us.”
A year into his leadership role with NEAR, Hay is no stranger to east side community building. As pastor at Shepherd Community, Executive Director at the John H. Boner Center, and a stint with Horizon House, Hay has seen positive change in many of the 22 neighborhoods served by NEAR. He pointed to Clifford Corners and St. Clair Place neighborhood revitalizations as major success stories “We have renovated 59 formerly abandoned or vacant properties, and have 17 more in process. We’re also working on reclaiming industrial and commercial spaces such as Sherman Park on Sherman and Michigan. We’re talking with a number of people about what can be done with that property, it’s just so big, and there are ground contamination issues.”
The vacant homes NEAR buys and renovates are affordable family homes, and subsidies are available for lower income people to buy them. Hay said that the last sale, however, was purchased without subsidies. “We are encouraging the creation of mixed income neighborhoods, where people who have lived there for a long time, and new neighbors, can create great neighborhoods together.”
A recent upswing in local real estate activity has helped boost home sales, and home prices, which will likely benefit NEAR’s efforts to build the community on the near east side. Hay noted that NEAR will be completing a housing survey of abandoned and vacant properties by the end of spring to see what areas need the most work. “The goal is to stabilize these neighborhoods, and help people bring them back.”
NEAR will not complete its mission alone. Joining up with many other organizations, including the Englewood Community Development Corp., NESCO, the East 10th St. Civic Association, plus the City, KIB, and financing partners, NEAR intends to put neighbors first so that neighborhoods benefit. “There are a lot of ingredients to make a great neighborhood. Now we just need to put them together,” Hay said.
NEAR’s service area encompasses 21st Street to the north to the railroad just south of Washington Street to the south, and Mass Ave. and the expressway on the west to Emerson to the east.
For more information on NEAR and its mission, visit their new Web site, www.nearindy.org.
