TOLEDO, OH, UNITED STATES, March 19, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Today, the newly formed Old South End Partnership (OSE Partnership) hosted a press conference at Sofia Quintero Art & Cultural Center to announce the launch of a coordinated housing pilot in Toledo’s Old South End.
The OSE Partnership brings together housing, philanthropic, and community partners committed to aligning their work around a shared goal: improving coordination of services, strengthening housing infrastructure, and using reliable data to guide long-term decision-making in the neighborhood.
A Coordinated Approach to Housing
The OSE Partnership includes six founding partners:
• John Henry Eldred Jr. Foundation
• Historic South Initiative (HSI)
• Lucas County Land Bank
• LISC Toledo
• Maumee Valley Habitat for Humanity
• LadderUp Housing
All the partners participated in a commemorative signing of the MOU (memorandum of understanding) as part of the press conference. Additional partners include the Greater Toledo Community Foundation, the Fair Housing Center, and Sofia Quintero Art & Cultural Center.
Rather than launching standalone programs, the OSE Partnership is aligning existing critical home repair, new home construction, and developer gap financing under a shared framework. The pilot will focus on:
• Strengthening neighborhood-level data collection and analysis
• Coordinating critical home repair, rehabilitation, and new construction
• Providing developer gap project funding
• Establishing shared metrics to measure impact and guide future investment
In a major boost to this effort, the Lucas County Land Bank has designated the Old South End as a RISE (Rebuild, Invest, Stabilize, and Engage) neighborhood. This status prioritizes targeted investment, property stabilization, and strategic redevelopment. The designation strengthens the OSE Partnership’s ability to coordinate parcel-level planning, address nuisance properties, and activate vacant land for new housing.
Combined with the OSE Partnership’s coordinated approach, the RISE designation creates the framework for one of the most comprehensive, aligned housing efforts in Toledo in decades.
Building Infrastructure for the Long Term
The pilot is supported by a combined $1 million initial investment from the John Henry Eldred Jr. Foundation and The Stranahan Supporting Organization of the Greater Toledo Community Foundation. This funding provides the foundation for a multi-year effort focused on building the systems, partnerships, and data needed to support sustainable housing outcomes over time.
This announcement marks the beginning of a long-term commitment with the initial $1 million investment supporting the early phase of the pilot.
Coalition partners are clear that meaningful progress requires sustained focus, consistent communication, and ongoing partnership with residents and community stakeholders.
“The Old South End has extraordinary history, culture, and resilience,” said Mike Deetsch, executive director of the John Henry Eldred Jr. Foundation and co-chair of the coalition steering committee. “By aligning our efforts, listening to residents, and investing strategically, we can be more effective and more responsive to the needs of the Old South End over the long term.”
The March 19 press conference outlined the OSE Partnership’s structure, the scope of the pilot, and the shared commitment guiding the work moving forward.
About John Henry Eldred Jr. Foundation
The John Henry Eldred Jr. Foundation proudly funds nonprofits in Northwest Ohio dedicated to addressing critical aspects of society, such as food security, housing stability, and youth education as well as libraries in rural communities throughout the United States. Since our inception in 2012, we’ve had the privilege of making substantial contributions, totaling over $8.7M, to over 100 nonprofit organizations throughout Northwest Ohio and hundreds of small, rural libraries in low-income communities across the United States. These contributions include the most recent grant cycle in 2025.
As a young and growing organization, The Foundation aspires to be a beacon of hope, embodying the values of our founder, John Henry Eldred Jr. His legacy of generosity and community service serves as our guiding light. Through strategic investments and unwavering dedication, we remain committed to uplifting families and communities, ensuring a lasting impact in the lives of those we have the privilege to serve.
For more information, please visit jhefoundation.org/.
Mike Deetsch
John Henry Eldred Jr. Foundation
sshreve@thinkcommunica.com
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