Community Matters, so groups step up

Joy filled Jen Walters' face Friday as visitors marveled at the clean hardwood floors, stained glass windows and white ornamental cherubs inside a former Lower Price Hill church.

More than three years ago, Walters faced what seemed like a nearly impossible task to raise money to renovate buildings so important in the neighborhood while delivering equally vital educational and human assistance programs. But the two nonprofits Walters leads pledge to spearhead redevelopment, even if it would take a decade.

It took far less time than that. Project construction began in August 2013 and Friday was opening day to showcase the $10 million renovation project on the St. Michael the Archangel Church at 2104 St. Michael St. and the St. Michael's School next door. The two nonprofit groups raised $2.2 million on their own and leveraged money from investors in tax credits to fund improvements.

"It's a promise kept, which is a really big deal and sadly, rare" in Lower Price Hill, said Walters, president and chief executive of nonprofit organizations Community Matters and Education Matters. "I can tell the community, 'this is yours. It's done and it's going to be here for a very long time.' "

The two buildings including the former church's sanctuary are already neighborhood stalwarts. The church was built in 1847 and the school was built in 1905. But the key preservation work - led by Walnut Hills-based HGC Construction Co. - helped ensure buildings would have a future, Walters said. The St. Michael's complex has been under the group's control since 2008, but it didn't acquire the property until December 2014.

Education Matters launched as the Lower Price Hill Community School in 1971 as an adult learning center to connect people to training amid a rising dropout rate. The organization continues to operate a GED preparation program and it also runs an English as a second language program and a College Bridge program.

The school has been located at the St. Michael's complex since 2008, a decade after the Archdiocese of Cincinnati closed the church. But since that time, it has become the de facto Lower Price Hill community center, where births, funerals, weddings and bingo tournaments were celebrated.

A sister nonprofit program, Community Matters, was launched in 2014 after identifying the community had a wider range of barriers to connect with opportunities.

Community Matters' core programs fall into three areas - family stabilization, economic opportunity and neighborhood revitalization. The group's community garden, which replaced a blighted vacant lot, is across the street from the former church. The Sanctuary, which is the church's first floor, is available for use or for rent as community space. The organization plans to open the neighborhood's only laundromat - the Washing Well - in November, which is about a block away from the church. A thrift store, employment hub and food pantry are also part of the nonprofit's growing roster of programs.

Community Matters is also growing its property portfolio, making it one of the most active property buyers in the neighborhood in the last couple years. Walters said Community Matters has about 17 properties under management, which includes about 20 housing units. She said Community Matters wants to work with other organizations with a real estate interest in the neighborhood to understand their long-range plans and identify more ways to help Lower Price Hill residents flourish.