TRIPIL representative asks commissioners for more housing for people with disabilities

It's potentially a tall order, reducing the number of blighted properties while increasing the number of homes accessible to people with disabilities, but a volunteer coordinator for Tri-County Patriots for Independent Living asked the Washington County commissioners to kill two birds with one stone.Debbie Holden of TRIPIL gave the commissioners information about the new Independence Place 1, a four-unit apartment built by Accessible Dreams at 1392 Jefferson Road in Jefferson, Greene County.This building has two first-floor units for easy access for people with disabilities and two second-floor apartments for people who need affordable housing. A second four-unit apartment is being built on an adjacent lot.Holden, a Washington resident, said the modular concept known as a quadruplex would be "suitable for urban, suburban or rural areas. They had good results down in Greene County." She asked the commissioners to "see if it would help the County of Washington, because it would allow people with disabilities to find places to live." She said she considers Washington and Donora to be good candidates for Independence Place-style buildings on now-vacant lots.Kathleen Kleinmann, executive director of TRIPIL, is acting executive director of Accessible Dreams, a TRIPIL affiliate, according to the Accessible Dreams website.Commissioners Larry Maggi and Harlan Shober said after the meeting that they'd forward Holden's request to the Washington County Redevelopment Authority. "We'd like to hear what they have to say," Holden said of the redevelopment authority.Commission Vice Chairman Diana Irey Vaughan said with people living longer and hoping to do what's known as "aging in place," more people will require homes that are accessible to those who have limited mobility.