Media Contact: Catie Comer
Vice President of Development for The Arc Central Chesapeake Region
410.384.4072 | ccomer@thearcccr.org

SEVERN, MD (March 2, 2022) — Chesapeake Neighbors, a subsidiary of The Arc Central Chesapeake Region (The Arc), announces its strategic partnerships with Rivers & Roads and IKIGAI Coaching and Consulting. These partners will create solutions to address the need for affordable housing within the Town of Easton, MD, and the Mid-Shore region.

“Rivers & Roads is extremely excited to help Chesapeake Neighbors work toward shrinking Easton’s affordable housing gap,” said Ross Benincasa, cofounder, Rivers & Roads. “As the average price of a new home climbs to nearly $700,000 in Talbot County, there has never been a more consequential time for an affordable housing provider to break ground.”

Rivers & Roads, along with Michael White of IKIGAI, will support Chesapeake Neighbors’ goal of doubling the number of accessible and inclusive units across the region to 120 by 2025. Goals of the partnership include facilitating the acquisition and construction of new affordable housing options in underserved counties on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.

In addition, Chesapeake Neighbors is partnering with Chesapeake Community Development, a community focused organization of The Arc, to develop Port Street Commons, a mixed used 20,000+ square foot building on historic Port Street in Easton, MD. For the Port Street Project, Chesapeake Neighbors will focus on the development of eight housing units that includes 2- and 3-bedroom residences to include zero barrier apartments.

According to the Pew Research Center, “About half of Americans, roughly 49 percent, say a lack of affordable housing in their local communities is a major issue.” According to The Talbot County Department of Planning and Zoning website, while they are accepting applications for public housing, the wait may be as long as 2-3 years with approximately 150 people on the waitlist.

Gwen Eskridge, President of the Mid-Shore Board of REALTORS, commented, “Everyone knows the Eastern Shore is an amazing place to live, but affordable housing continues to be a challenge. The REALTORS are excited to see The Arc’s subsidiary, Chesapeake Neighbors, building eight affordable housing units. This will benefit our entire community.”

About Chesapeake Neighbors

Chesapeake Neighbors was founded in 2007 by The Arc Central Chesapeake Region to provide, promote and support safe, affordable, and accessible housing for people and families in need. From one house in Anne Arundel County, the organization has grown to represent over 50 owned and managed, affordable, accessible single and multifamily units across Anne Arundel County and the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Learn more: www.chesapeakeneighbors.org

About Rivers & Roads

Rivers & Roads is a regional consulting agency focused on projects that revitalize communities. We love working with engaging Main Street communities, upstart entrepreneurs, sustainable workforce housing, and mission-first nonprofits.

To contact, please visit: www.riversandroads.com

About IKIGAI Coaching and Consulting

Michael White, founder & principal, represents clients on state and local governments relations matters across Maryland. These clients are mission-driven organizations working to increase impact by leveraging state programs and resources. They receive support on issues related to housing/affordable housing, IT, real estate, adaptive reuse/development, procurement, and in identifying and determining eligibility for state funding programs.

To learn how Michael White can help your organization thrive: Michael@IKIGAICAC.com.

The Arc Central Chesapeake Region (The Arc) will host a Community Meeting to introduce its development plans for Port Street Commons. This is an opportunity for community members and grassroots organizations to meet Arc leadership and the project planning team to learn about The Arc’s future plans in Easton at the site. The public is encouraged to attend.

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Easton Economic Development Corporation (EEDC): According to your website, “The Arc’s mission is to serve children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Anne Arundel County and the Eastern Shore by creating opportunities for people with disabilities to live, work, and play where and how they choose.” What would you add to that?

Jonathon Rondeau (JR): It’s also important to note that each Arc in Maryland is separately run and incorporated. So, for the last 17 years, The Arc Central Chesapeake Region has been providing services mainly in the Mid Shore region. Since 2018, we have expanded the number of people we serve by 82%. So, part of our strategy now is how to have a greater physical presence as well.

EEDC: And how are you doing that?

JR: We have had a presence in Easton for the last 17 years and are committed to continuing that. Over the last year and a half, we’ve been exploring locations to develop an Eastern Shore headquarters in Easton. Late spring of this year, we identified a lot on Port Street within the Port Street Redevelopment Plan, and we’ve purchased that property. It’s our vision that this would not only be our Eastern Shore headquarters but also create a community hub, which is where people with disabilities and their families could get resources, participate in support groups, that sort of thing. We’re also creating a mixed-use model where there would be eight affordable housing units. The Arc has a housing subsidiary called Chesapeake Neighbors that will be managing these units.

EEDC: How interesting. How far along are you with the housing plan?

JR: We are in the concept phase of that, which will be done in the next couple of weeks. And then, we will be going out to key community members to get people’s input. Our ultimate goal is to break ground and start construction sometime in 2023.

EEDC: How will The Arc be soliciting the community’s response?

JR: This fall, we will have some listening sessions to share our plans with the community and get their feedback. We haven’t scheduled those dates yet, but they’ll be more than one opportunity to give their opinion.

EEDC: How can people find out when these will be?

JR: People can reach out if they’re interested in participating in one of those sessions by emailing me at:  jrondeau@thearcccr.org

EEDC: So, what attracted you to the Port Street Redevelopment area?

JR: The property we purchased is right on the Rails-to-Trails that’s being developed. Initially, we were looking and wanted to be downtown. And so this location has the beauty and the flexibility of not only the Easton Parkway because our services are multi-jurisdictional, but also the fact that you can easily walk from this location downtown. It’s sort of the best of both worlds.

I also think that it’s huge that, while the Port Street Redevelopment plan has been in development for many years, our research shows that a lot of developers are also looking at that location. So it seems to be the right location and right time for us to be doing the same.

EEDC: How large is this new headquarter going to be?

JR: It will be about 24,000 square feet, which includes the eight affordable housing units.

EEDC: How many people are currently employed at The Arc?

JR: The Arc as a whole organization has about 400 employees, and we have 30 employees that work directly on the Eastern Shore.

EEDC: What about you, Jonathon? Are you from the area?

JR: I’ve lived in Maryland since 2003 and currently live in Baltimore County. I’ve been with The Arc for a little over four years.

For more information about EEDC, visit https://eastonedc.com/

SEVERN, MD, (September 28, 2021) – Chesapeake Neighbors, an Arc Central Chesapeake Region company committed to providing safe, accessible, and affordable housing in Maryland, and Board Chair Laura Carr, are pleased to welcome Judi Olinger as Executive Director, effective October 4, and Andrew Masters to its board of directors.

“We are excited to welcome Judi and Andy to our team,” said Jonathon Rondeau, President & CEO of The Arc Central Chesapeake Region. “Judi and Andy possess a wealth of knowledge and experience that will be essential in furthering the mission of Chesapeake Neighbors to expand and strengthen the availability of affordable housing for people who would otherwise not have access or options in communities where they choose to live.”

Judi Olinger possesses over 30 years of experience in human services, housing development, property management, and operational oversight of a wide array of multi-million-dollar programs committed to supporting the needs of people with disabilities. She founded and served as president of iHomes, Inc., a development and management company for affordable housing.

Judi also served as the vice president of Humanim, Inc., overseeing various programs, including disability services and corporate compliance. She currently serves as the president of the board of directors for Columbia Housing Corporation and is also a member of the Maryland Housing Inclusive Howard County Advisory Board.

“I am grateful for this opportunity to lead Chesapeake Neighbors,” said Judi Olinger. “People with intellectual and developmental disabilities deserve the same access to quality, affordable housing as anyone else, and we will continue to expand the care and mission of the organization.”

Judi earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Salisbury University. She also received an advanced certificate in the financing of affordable housing from the University of Maryland, College Park, and is a graduate of Leadership Maryland.

Andy Masters possesses over a decade of experience in education, public health, and strategic planning in Baltimore City schools and nonprofits. Recently, he was named the Executive Director of Columbia Housing Center, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting racial and ethnic integration and diversity in Columbia, Maryland, through housing advisory services and educational programming.

Prior to that, Andy was the Strategic Partnerships Manager at Enterprise Community Partners, a nonprofit that brings together cross-sector data, community engagement, partnership, and evaluation tools for communities across the country. He also led the launch and implementation of a bold cross-sector Youth Health and Wellness Strategy out of the Baltimore City Health Department.

“I am excited and thrilled to join the Chesapeake Neighbors board of directors,” said Andy. “Creating stronger communities is a passion of mine that aligns perfectly with Chesapeake Neighbors’ core mission of providing access to safe, affordable, accessible housing.”

Andy holds a bachelor’s degree in human development and family studies and a master’s degree in counselor education from The Pennsylvania State University. He lives in the Columbia, Maryland area and has two children.

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About Chesapeake Neighbors
Chesapeake Neighbors was founded in 2007 by The Arc Central Chesapeake Region to provide, promote and support safe, affordable, and accessible housing for people and families in need. What started with one house in Anne Arundel County has grown to over 50 owned and managed, affordable, accessible single and multifamily units across Anne Arundel County and the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Learn more at https://chesapeakeneighbors.org/.