The Columbus Board of Public Works on Tuesday approved transferring ownership of a vacant house at 22 S. Hinman St., which was severely damaged in a fire in October, to Thrive Alliance. The organization plans to demolish the property within 30 days and build a 1,300-square-foot house with three bedrooms and two bathrooms on the site.
The idea behind the acquisition is to free up other housing in undisclosed locations in Columbus for domestic violence survivors who transition out of Turning Point’s shelter, said Kevin Johnson, director of housing at Thrive Alliance.
Johnson said it is currently unclear which populations he anticipates will live in the house, but he expects construction to be completed by November.
“We’ll house (the survivors) somewhere in the city of Columbus, but we don’t release that and we move that around constantly as they come through so they can’t be tracked,” he said. “…(The Hinman property) will give us enough relief to free up a house somewhere else when somebody needs to come out of the shelter.”
