By Daryl Knauer
Special to NKyTribune
Twenty-five years ago, Housing Opportunities of Northern Kentucky (HONK), founded by Father John “Jack” Goeke, acquired its first property, a single-family home on 13th Street in Covington.
Since then HONK has completed 84 rehabs and built 34 new homes in 13 Northern Kentucky communities. But it was a chance encounter that transformed Father Goeke from parish priest to a regional leader in affordable housing for low-income families.
Fr. Goeke was serving St. Agnes Parish in Fort Mitchell in 1991 when he was invited to participate with a group that was seeking to address housing issues in inner city Covington. As they visited potential properties to renovate, Fr. Goeke was struck by the enormous challenge they faced.
“Some of the buildings were so dirty,” says Fr. Goeke. “There was train dust from a hundred years ago. I was so touched that they were willing to tackle that.”
Father John ‘Jack’ Goeke
That sense of compassion became a core principle when Fr. Goeke founded (HONK) and began working to address the challenges of the working poor. He was moved by “good-hearted people” who were able to pay their monthly rent, but were unable to save for a down payment and couldn’t get a conventional mortgage. As a result, he came up with an innovative lease-to-own model, setting aside a portion of the lease to give back for closing costs. He also found opportunities for down payment assistance, working with the City of Covington and the Kentucky Housing Corporation.
As the fledgling organization grew, Fr. Goeke quickly realized HONK needed to get organized.
“We were scattered all over Northern Kentucky,” he says. “We’d have carpet in one guy’s garage, a water heater in another guy’s basement. For an office, we had a spare room in a church’s rectory.”
He was also becoming overwhelmed by the amount of paperwork and grant writing required, leading to the hiring of John Binzer as business manager, HONK’s first paid staff member.
Volunteers, however, remained essential to the organization’s success. From the beginning, Fr. Goeke tapped into a growing interest in volunteerism, building a network of churches, schools, individuals and organizations eager to provide volunteer labor.
When HONK constructed its second new house, Fr. Goeke approached a member of his parish who taught carpentry at a vocational school.
“Instead of building something at their school and then tearing it down, they would come and do carpentry work for us. Their teacher was happy because we supplied the nails and lumber.”
To date, volunteers have contributed more than 300,000 hours of labor.
Through the years, the organization’s impact grew by word of mouth, as potential homeowners would be advised to “Go see Father. Goeke.”
Fr. Goeke retired from full-time management of HONK in 2004, but his passion for affordable housing solutions continues to drive the non-profit organization.
“Father Goeke created something really special here,” says David Hastings, HONK’s current
Executive Director. “So many people responded to his call for help. We are fortunate to have such an amazing group of volunteers and donors 25 years later that continue to make our mission possible.”
After 25 years, what is Fr. Goeke proudest achievement at HONK?
“I guess survival,” he says with a laugh. “I had no expectations of HONK getting as big as it is. The early days were hard but they were also really satisfying. You knew all the families, you knew all the volunteers. I hope it carries on.”
HONK is currently in the planning stages for the construction of “The Legacy House,” a new house intended to celebrate and honor the positive impact Fr. Goeke has had over the past quarter century.
This is great to see! Thank you. Jack has done much wonderful work in low income communities.
Congratulations to HONK !
Sr.Janet