Federal authorities with the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) are investigating housing discrimination complaints against the city of Noblesville and Hamilton County over the lack of low-income housing.
Noblesville and Hamilton County governments receive federal funding aimed at helping communities reduce poverty. The complaints allege both entities violated the fair housing requirements associated with the money.
Hamilton County has a total of 330 subsidized housing units. Of those, Noblesville has 325. Hamilton County Area Neighborhood Development (HAND) operates 96 subsidized units throughout the county, with most of those servicing seniors.
According to the complaint a recent study by a development and consulting firm estimated Hamilton County communities need approximately 11,000 additional housing units.
“The City of Noblesville does not see any merit in the claim against the city filed with HUD,” Robert Herrington, Public Affairs Manager for the City of Noblesville, told The Reporter. “Noblesville has more subsidized housing than any other community in Hamilton County even though we have less than 25 percent of the total county population. Also, the city is in the process of amending ordinances to accept certain types of federal Housing Choice Voucher Programs throughout the city. The city is home to a variety of housing levels and claims to the contrary are unsupported by the evidence. We continue to evaluate our procedures and are diligently preparing our response to the complaint.”
Is there a minimum requirement for subsidized housing in Noblesville to receive the federal funding? Seems to me Carmel and Fishers should be the ones putting in more housing options.