Empowered by our mission
CHANGING LIVES. STRENGTHENING NEIGHBORHOODS.
homeownership made affordable in NKY
HONK is a faith-based, nonprofit organization dedicated to helping low income families and individuals reach homeownership and to provide volunteers with opportunities to rehabilitate and construct those homes. HONK programs include a lease-to-own model financial education, and emotional support.
HONK's vision
Housing location is the primary mechanism for accessing opportunity in our society. Housing location determines the quality of schools that children attend, the quality of public services received, access to employment and transportation, exposure to health risks, access to health care, and more. For those living in high poverty neighborhoods, these factors can significantly inhibit life outcomes.
Homeownership is proven to build wealth, strengthen communities, and promote both educational and employment achievement in areas where housing opportunities are available.
Over the past 30 years, HONK has witnessed firsthand the lasting impact that homeownership can make on individuals, families, and communities. Affordable housing does more than just put a roof over someone’s head, it changes lives and strengthens the neighborhoods we live in.
What we do
Construction
Housing Opportunities of Northern Kentucky rehabilitates existing housing and builds new housing to create affordable homeownership for low and moderate income working families.
Affordable Housing Management
Housing Opportunities of Northern Kentucky is a lease-to-own path to homeownership. HONK performs primary maintenance tasks to ensure the quality and security of the dwelling. In preparation for ownership, residents perform routine homeowner tasks such as shoveling snow, mowing lawns, changing furnace filters, etc.
Client Support
Once clients are accepted into the program, the staff of Housing Opportunities of Northern Kentucky provides individual and group homeowner, budget and credit counseling. Additionally, HONK staff makes referrals for other social services as needed. As the prospective homeowner approaches purchase, HONK staff provides, either directly or indirectly, mortgage and finance counseling.
Our History
Led by Fr. Jack Goeke and John Binzer, a group of socially conscious individuals joined together in the basement of St. Agnes Church on December 18, 1991 to discuss concrete ways of helping lower-income working families break the cycle of dependency, gain control over their housing options, and improve their quality of life. This core group recognized that far too many lower-income working people were stuck on an economic treadmill, dependent on others for rental housing that was often unsafe and in very poor condition. Homes that were safe and livable came with high rents and no means to build equity.
This core group surveyed the limited resources they had. They recruited additional volunteers and began to develop a plan to acquire, renovate, and build homes. They recognized that there would be a significant learning curve in helping families transition from renting into owning. A lease-to-own model with budgeting, credit and homeownership counseling was selected to ease families into homeownership. These early meetings led to the official incorporation of Housing Opportunities of Northern Kentucky (HONK) in 1992.
HONK was first based in Newport with storage and workshop facilities scattered throughout Northern Kentucky. Our early successes led us in 1995 to consolidate our office, storage and workshops into our current location at 502 Fry Street in the Mainstrasse neighborhood of Covington.
