Title holders

Movin’ Out helps people move in

By Janine Anderson

The Coachyard Square development in Madison opens the door for home ownership to people who otherwise might not get the opportunity. Photo courtesy of Movin’ Out Inc.

Movin’ Out Inc. does more than just get homes built.

It gets people into those homes.

The organization works with those who don’t necessarily fit the traditional profiles of home owners. It helps them purchase their own houses in safe, affordable, accessible and integrated neighborhoods.

Based in Madison, Movin’ Out partners with developers to build condominiums and subdivisions with a mix of affordable and traditionally priced units. Those homes offer particular design modifications that make the houses practical for people with a wide range of disabilities, from mental illnesses to developmental or physical disabilities.

“So long as it’s a permanent disability, they qualify,” said Howard Mandeville, executive director of Movin’ Out.

The group, with a primary focus on helping people achieve home ownership, is the driving force behind two recent developments, Coachyard Square and The Uplands.

Coachyard Square is a 23-unit condominium development built as a joint venture between Movin’ Out and the Wisconsin Partnership for Housing Development. The condos in downtown Madison sold for $89,900 to $154,900. Twelve were sold at market prices, five were priced for moderate-income households, and six were set aside for purchase by low-income people with disabilities.

The Uplands, Movin’ Out’s most ambitious project so far, is a $21 million, 39.5 acre subdivision in Sun Prairie. The two-phase project will feature 142 new homes, with 40 financed through the federal Low Income Tax Credit program. At least half the homes will be affordable to households with incomes at or below 80 percent of Dane County’s median income.

Mandeville said the projects are popular. Coachyard Square condos sold quickly, and there is significant demand in The Uplands as well.

“The idea is not to congregate [people with disabilities] in a real obvious way,”

She said. “To clump and congregate tends to stigmatize. We look at how we can integrate successfully with the neighborhood.”

At Coachyard Square, part of that integration is seen in Movin’ Out’s efforts to make sure the condominium association is open to condo owners with disabilities.

“We want things open to people who communicate differently,” Mandeville said. “Make sure the condo association not only takes care of the business of the building but gets people to interact in a comfortable way with everybody.”

In The Uplands, there is no real line of distinction between affordable homes and market-rate houses, Mandeville said.

“There’s an attempt to diversify,” he said. “We have that as a strong feature, and there are people looking for it.”

The integration of the neighborhood was kept in mind during the design phase, Mandeville said, and they tried to make sure all the homes had at least some degree of accessibility. Elements such as entrances at grade, wider doors and a bathroom on the first floor are evident throughout the neighborhood.

“We want the homes to at least be visitable,” he said. “It’s creating and having some of the New Urbanism architectural details that encourage friendliness among neighbors. We want this to be a welcoming and friendly community.”