HAND opens six new affordable homes in Carmel

Home Place Duets demonstrates a collaborative approach to creating housing & supporting families

Hamilton County Area Neighborhood Development (HAND) celebrated the opening of Home Place Duets last week, marking the completion of six new affordable three-bedroom rental homes in Carmel.

HAND welcomed community partners and supporters to the property Tuesday, Sept. 29, for an Open House and Ribbon Cutting, giving guests an opportunity to tour the completed homes before residents begin moving in.

Located at the corner of 108 & McPherson Street in the Home Place area, Home Place Duets includes three duplex buildings designed to fit naturally into the surrounding neighborhood, with an emphasis on quality, durability, and long-term community benefit. One of the six homes is handicap accessible.

 

Residents will be referred through Prevail Inc. and Family Promise of Hamilton County. HAND will own and manage the homes, while the two organizations will continue providing services and support to the families they refer.

“Home Place Duets is a great example of what can happen when organizations bring different resources and expertise together around a shared need,” said Andrea Davis, HAND Executive Director. “HAND brings our experience developing, owning, and managing affordable housing, while Prevail and Family Promise bring the relationships and services they provide to families. Each organization brings something different to the table, and together we can provide both a quality place to call home and ongoing support.”

Each home has a property-based housing voucher that remains with the unit. Qualified residents will pay 30 percent of their income toward rent, with utilities included. To qualify for a referral to Home Place Duets, applicants must be experiencing homelessness or fleeing domestic violence.

The opening comes as HAND continues to see significant demand for affordable housing. From January through August 2026, 560 people completed HAND’s online housing interest form asking to be added to its waiting list. With the completion of Home Place Duets, HAND now owns and manages 163 affordable homes across 12 rental communities in Hamilton, Boone, and Tipton counties.

Home Place Duets represents one response to that need: adding quality housing in a community where affordable options can be difficult to find. The small-scale development adds six homes while fitting into an established residential neighborhood, giving families the opportunity to remain connected to the community.

“At the end of the day, this work is about more than completing a development,” Davis said. “It’s about making sure people have the opportunity to live in a quality home and remain part of the communities where they work, raise their families and build their lives.”

The collaborative approach extended to the development itself. The $3 million Home Place Duets development was made possible through a combination of public and private investment, including HOME-ARP funding through the Indiana Housing & Community Development Authority, Hamilton County Community Development Block Grant funds and financing from Lake City Bank. Home Place Duets was developed by HAND with H-E Homes serving as custom home builder, Inherent Commercial as owner’s representative and CEC Inc. as engineer.

As the long-term owner and property manager, HAND will continue caring for the homes and serving the Home Place Duets community after residents move in.

Residents are expected to begin moving into Home Place Duets in October.

About HAND
Founded in 2003, Hamilton County Area Neighborhood Development, Inc. (HAND) is a nonprofit organization that provides quality affordable housing and advocates for housing options where everyone can thrive. HAND develops, owns, and manages affordable rental communities in Hamilton, Boone, and Tipton counties.

Today, HAND owns and manages 163 affordable homes across 12 rental communities and continues working to build and preserve housing options for individuals and families throughout Central Indiana.