Indiana Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch received a tour May 9 of attainable housing units for adults with disabilities under construction in Carmel’s North End development.
Officials from the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority, developer Old Town Companies, RDOOR Housing Corp. and Village of Merici led Crouch through the site at 494 W. Smoky Rd. in Carmel. The North End project, which also includes other multi-family units, single-family units, townhomes and commercial space, is a collaboration between Old Town Companies, RDOOR and Village of Merici.
Once complete, North End will have 168 apartments, with 40 reserved for residents with physical and intellectual disabilities. All of those units have been reserved, with the first residents set to move in in July, according to Rebecca McGuckin, community collaborator for Old Town Companies.
Justin Moffett, CEO of Old Town Companies, said the project has been in the works since 2019. During its envisioning stage, the company questioned which group of citizens were marginalized and how the project could serve them in a unique way.
“There was a recurring theme of families in the community who said, ‘I don’t know what is going to happen to my adult son or daughter when I can no longer take care of them myself,’” Moffett said.
Recognizing many families shared the same concern, it became the company’s mission to provide attainable housing for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Crouch said the development – specifically the units for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities – was a model for Indiana.
Each room in the 40 units is furnished with smart technology that uses an Amazon Alexa to help residents with disabilities live independently. Residents who qualify for a unit will pay anywhere from $514 to $856 a month depending on their monthly income, McGuckin said.
