ORHA To Celebrate 40th Year with Free Picnic

MILFORD—Otsego Rural Housing Assistance Inc., a non-profit that provides and preserves affordable housing in Otsego County, will celebrate its 40th anniversary with a picnic in Oneonta’s Neahwa Park on Friday, October 18. Community members, ORHA partners, and ORHA clients are all invited to drop in any time between 11:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. to meet ORHA’s staff, learn about the organization, and enjoy a free meal, organizers said.

ORHA administers a variety of grant programs to help Otsego County residents afford the costs of housing. Currently, these include repair and rehabilitation programs for lower-income homeowners and rental assistance through the Section 8 program. Past programs have also included home-buying assistance grants and other forms of rental assistance, such as emergency COVID-19 rent relief funded by an Otsego County Community Development Block Grant award.

Initially founded in 1984, ORHA has completed more than 1,400 home repair or rehabilitation projects for Otsego County residents. According to a media release, at the outset, ORHA provided rental assistance to 35 families, which in 1990 rose above 100 for the first time. Since 1990, ORHA’s rental assistance program has served more than 100 families annually, helping them to afford the costs of safe, decent housing. ORHA has also supported the development of two affordable senior housing projects in the county: Alden Park Apartments in Cherry Valley and Unadilla Neighborhood Apartments in Unadilla.

“It’s humbling to look back on ORHA’s first 40 years and see the impact this organization has had in the county,” said Bridget Stith, who became the executive director of ORHA in 2023. “In ORHA’s lifetime, we’ve administered more than $30 million in housing assistance for Otsego County families. That’s the actual cost of our help, like rent payments, rehabilitation project costs, or home buying assistance.

“Most of that is state and federal money that ORHA brought back to the county, injecting those funds into our local economy,’ Stith said.

ORHA’s anniversary picnic will be held at the large pavilion in Neahwa Park, and the public is invited to visit at any time. Attendees will be treated to a free hot dog or veggie dog, chips and a drink, as long as the supplies last. Staff and board members will be available to share information about ORHA’s programs and to catch up with current and former clients.

“If you’ve ever been curious about who we are or what we do, this is a great time to stop by for a chat,” said Stith.

Stith added that, beyond potential clients, she hoped local contractors, other service providers, and municipal officials would visit to learn more about how ORHA can work with them.

For more information about the anniversary picnic, visit www.otsegoruralhousing.org or call (607) 286-7244.