In 2017, disaster struck Puerto Rico when Category 5 Hurricane Maria ravaged through the Caribbean island, leaving nothing but destruction in its wake. Regarded as the worst natural disaster to affect Puerto Rico, Hurricane Maria robbed citizens of food, power, income, and worst of all, their homes.
Earlier this year, Jennifer Dranschak of Kasai North America, an auto manufacturing facility in Upper Sandusky, OH, had an idea to bring those displaced by Hurricane Maria to America. After hearing of Jennifer’s plans, Stephanie Fischer, general manager at Wallick, knew the perfect place for those families to live – Highland Village.
Highland Village is one of Wallick’s affordable apartment communities in Upper Sandusky, OH. Zac Brown, Highland’s community manager, worked diligently through language barriers to prepare and approve move-in applications for six families, who traveled from Puerto Rico to escape Hurricane Maria’s damage. Now, Highland Village is proud to have each of these families as residents.
Words can’t describe how grateful Highland’s newest residents are to have power, clean water, and a roof over their head. Jennifer continues to connect these families to employment opportunities and other resources.
This is one of many examples of how Wallick lives out its mission to open doors to homes, opportunities, and hope. Thank you to Stephanie, Zac, Jennifer and others for doing what you do best – helping others find a place to call home.
Wallick Closes on Walnut Ridge in IndianapolisSeptember 12, 2025 - 10:19 am
Wallick Partners on Community-Centered Rogell Park Project in Northwest DetroitSeptember 10, 2025 - 13:49 pm
Wallick Awarded 9% LIHTC for Two Senior Housing Communities in North CarolinaAugust 27, 2025 - 12:05 pm
Affordable-Housing Projects Stall Over Proposed Cuts to Rental AssistanceJuly 22, 2025 - 11:41 am
Wallick Expands Presence to Iowa
In May, Wallick Communities closed on the acquisition of Wapello Woods Apartments, a 46-unit, Section 8 multi-family community in Ottumwa, IA. Wapello Woods is the company’s first community in Iowa and Wallick has partnered with Young Management Corporation, which will oversee operations at the apartments.
Only a short car trip from the Des Moines River, Wapello Woods has a mix of two- and three-bedroom apartments and is nestled on a scenic four acres of land.
Wallick Secures 49M for Ohio Properties
Congressman Stivers, Senator Kunze Among Others Attend Sturbridge Grand Opening
On Tuesday, The Ashford at Sturbridge in Hilliard, OH opened its doors to nearly 100 community members, residents, and business partners for its grand opening celebration. Several state and local officials were in attendance as well.
After an official ceremony and ribbon cutting, guests were welcome to tour the new building and meet The Ashford at Sturbridge team.
The Ashford at Sturbridge is Wallick’s third affordable assisted living community. Located on the same campus as Sturbridge Green, one of Wallick’s affordable senior apartment communities, The Ashford at Sturbridge has 124 studio and one-bedroom suites and will serve as an affordable option for seniors in central Ohio searching for a value-driven community where they are not only cared for but cared about.
Check out Columbus Business First’s recent article about The Ashford at Sturbridge.
Kentucky Housing Corporation Awards Wallick $1.43 Million in Housing Credits
Recently, the Kentucky Housing Corporation (KHC) awarded Wallick $1.43 million in 9% Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC). Of those tax credits:
Overall, 41 applications were submitted to the Kentucky Housing Corporation and only 18 of those applications received tax credits. In total, Wallick submitted two applications to the KHC in late 2018—both were awarded housing credits.
Seniors Housing Business Features The Ashford at Sturbridge in Recent Article
Wallick Exits Student Housing Segment
In April, Wallick closed on the sale of its only student housing community – Carriage Hill Apartments. Carriage Hill was built in the late 1960’s in Athens, Ohio and consisted of 367 units. It was built by the Company’s founder, Jack Wallick, shortly after he formed Wallick Construction Co.
Wallick One of the First For-Profits to Join Local Housing Alliance
Wallick was one of the first for-profit affordable housing organizations to become a member of the Affordable Housing Alliance of Central Ohio (AHACO). Wallick’s partnership with AHACO will support its efforts to connect with federal, state, and local officials to find innovative solutions to the shortage of affordable housing in central Ohio.
Additionally, Wallick’s Advocacy Task Force has increased its efforts to advocate for affordable housing policies, programs and funding. In the fall, members participated in two roundtable discussions with the Ohio Gubernatorial candidates and separately took part in discussions and interactions with the candidates and their staff. The purpose of these sessions was to present and discuss an Ohio Housing Platform to the State’s next governor.
The group also successfully worked with U.S. Congressman Troy Balderson of Ohio’s 12th District to gain his support of H.R. 1661 — The Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act. Congressman Balderson signed on as a co-sponsor of this important legislation in late October. Earlier in the year, Wallick’s Bill Hinga traveled to Capitol Hill to call on the offices of seven Ohio Congressional members for their support of H.R. 1661.
Wallick Ranks 2nd on Cincinnati MHA’s Preferred Developer List
The Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority (Cincinnati MHA) Board approved Wallick Communities as one of six preferred developers that the organization will partner with over the next several years to help reposition the existing public housing stock in its portfolio.
Wallick Associates Give Back
Although 2018 was one of the Company’s busiest years, Wallick’s associates found time to give back to their communities and help those in need.
Wallick Strengthens Leadership Team to Meet Growing Demand
Within 2018, Wallick announced several leadership appointments:
The growth of Wallick’s executive team is a result of the Company’s commitment to serve two markets: affordable housing and senior living. As both markets continue to expand, Wallick is prepared to fulfill the nation’s housing needs.
Wallick’s Affordable Housing Communities Receive Makeovers
Wallick celebrated the grand reopening of five affordable housing communities:
Under the LIHTC program, these communities received major improvements on both the exterior and interior, providing for the sustainability of our affordable housing stock.
Additionally, Wallick was awarded tax credits in 2018 to acquire and rehab six affordable communities this year.
Wallick Adopts a Rigorous “Bottom-up” Approach to Develop Strategic Plan
Through a “bottom-up” approach, Wallick created a strategic plan to lay out the direction for the Company’s future. While Wallick has worked on this in the past, the Company has never done so with such rigor that was used in 2018.
As a result, Wallick developed a well-thought-out plan with broad buy-in. With this strategic plan in place, Wallick is set to take full advantage of incredible opportunities to grow and serve its customers.
63 Individuals Hired at Job Fair Held by Resident Resources Network
A new approach to the traditional job fair led to 63 low-income individuals to find employment. Hosted by Resident Resources Network (RRN), a nonprofit established in 2011 by Wallick Communities, this job fair strayed from more traditional methods by bringing the event to job seekers and the community in which they live.
Wallick’s New Senior Communities Put Residents’ Needs First
At the end of 2018, Wallick saw the completion of two senior living communities:
Additionally, the Company’s five other senior living communities spent the year focused on residents’ needs. This summer, the Ohio Department of Aging conducted a statewide survey to gauge resident’s overall satisfaction at Ohio’s assisted living facilities and nursing homes. Based off responses, The Ashford on Broad received a 92.4 – a score that placed it the highest among all Columbus’ assisted living communities.
In 2019, Wallick will begin construction of two new senior living communities across Ohio.
Wallick Expands Affordable Housing Portfolio
In 2018, the Ohio Housing Finance Agency (OHFA) awarded Wallick Communities funding under the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Program for the development of Daines Village Apartments, a soon-to-be built affordable family community in London, Ohio, and the redevelopment of several other affordable communities.
Additionally, Wallick acquired nearly 400 affordable apartments, expanding its presence in Kentucky, Wisconsin and Ohio. The following communities are now a part of Wallick’s affordable housing portfolio.
With Wallick’s affordable housing business reaching an overall occupancy of 96% at the end of 2018, the Company looks forward to additional opportunities to expand its portfolio.
Hurricane Maria Victims Find Refuge at Highland Village
In 2017, disaster struck Puerto Rico when Category 5 Hurricane Maria ravaged through the Caribbean island, leaving nothing but destruction in its wake. Regarded as the worst natural disaster to affect Puerto Rico, Hurricane Maria robbed citizens of food, power, income, and worst of all, their homes.
Earlier this year, Jennifer Dranschak of Kasai North America, an auto manufacturing facility in Upper Sandusky, OH, had an idea to bring those displaced by Hurricane Maria to America. After hearing of Jennifer’s plans, Stephanie Fischer, general manager at Wallick, knew the perfect place for those families to live – Highland Village.
Highland Village is one of Wallick’s affordable apartment communities in Upper Sandusky, OH. Zac Brown, Highland’s community manager, worked diligently through language barriers to prepare and approve move-in applications for six families, who traveled from Puerto Rico to escape Hurricane Maria’s damage. Now, Highland Village is proud to have each of these families as residents.
Words can’t describe how grateful Highland’s newest residents are to have power, clean water, and a roof over their head. Jennifer continues to connect these families to employment opportunities and other resources.
This is one of many examples of how Wallick lives out its mission to open doors to homes, opportunities, and hope. Thank you to Stephanie, Zac, Jennifer and others for doing what you do best – helping others find a place to call home.
Heart of Service Spreads Holiday Joy at Ashford Communities
With the holidays can come joy and cheer, but also snow and frigid temperatures. And for that reason, Wallick’s volunteer committee, Heart of Service, devised a plan to keep The Ashfords’ senior residents warm and cozy this chilly season by organizing a blanket drive.
With the help of Wallick’s associates, Heart of Service collected 153 blankets for residents at two of the Company’s affordable senior living communities, The Ashford on Broad and The Ashford of Mt. Washington. Each blanket was packaged with a personalized card and gifted to residents at their community’s holiday party. Put on by The Ashfords’ staff members, both holiday bashes had a feast, music, support from Wallick associates, and of course a special appearance by Santa Clause.
Although the basic fleece blanket probably won’t make Amazon’s Hottest Holiday Gift Guide anytime soon, words can’t describe how delighted residents were to get a surprise gift from a friend at Wallick.
It just shows – no matter the gift, it’s the thought that always means the most. Thank you to everyone who donated.
Wallick Unveils $7.1 Million Memory Care Community at Grand Opening Celebration
After 18 months in development, The Grove at Oakleaf Village of Columbus officially opened November 15 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by local officials, project partners and congressional representatives.
The Grove Columbus –a $7.1 million project—is Wallick’s second memory care facility for seniors with age-related dementias. When fully occupied, it will employ up to 40 full-time associates. Those who spoke at the celebration included:
The ribbon-cutting ceremony was followed by tours and lunch. Additionally, The Grove hosted an event for the public that evening.
Wallick Associates Build the Dream of Home Ownership with Habitat for Humanity
Affordable, decent housing is one of the most basic human needs; however, so many families and seniors within our own neighborhoods and beyond are still without a place to call home. Like Wallick, Habitat for Humanity (Habitat), a global nonprofit housing organization, works to end poverty by providing safe, affordable housing.
For two years now, Heart of Service (HOS) has partnered with local Habitat divisions to give Wallick the opportunity to help build houses for families working toward home ownership. This summer, almost 50 Wallick associates traded their same old routine for a day of framing, insulating, sheet rocking and more.
Overall, Wallick had five teams that each spent a day at one of Habitat’s project sites.
Wallick Welcomes Sen. Hornback, State Rep. Rand & Other Officials to KY Grand Reopening
Senator Paul Hornback and State Representative Rick Rand were among several officials to attend the grand reopening celebration for three of Wallick’s affordable apartment communities in Kentucky. Locust Ridge (72 units), Highpoint Senior Apartments (44 units) and Bedford Village (40 units) recently underwent rehabs after Wallick was awarded over $1.1 million in tax credits from the Kentucky Housing Corporation (KHC) in 2016. Overall, the rehabs totaled over $19 million. Each community received the following upgrades:
Unit Improvements
Building & Site Improvements
In addition to Sen. Hornback and State Rep. Rand, those to speak at the ribbon cutting, held at Bedford Village, were:
After the ribbon was cut, guests were welcome to visit and tour Locust Ridge and Highpoint for the remainder of the afternoon. Thank you to Wallick’s Development team and project partners for reinvesting in the Company’s communities and improving the lives of its residents.