CINCINNATI — There is a large need for affordable housing for adults with disabilities and one NFL player is working to make it more accessible.

What You Need To Know

The Cincy Hat Foundation broke ground on its first housing unit for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities 

The development will include five units and will be for independent living

Bengals offensive lineman Ted Karras donated $500,000 to the project, which will help keep the cost for the renters affordable 

Ted Karras, a Cincinnati Bengals offensive lineman and captain, broke ground on his first affordable housing unit for adults with disabilities on Thursday.

Karras has been selling Cincy Hats since he signed with the Bengals and has been nominated as the league’s Man of the Year.

Ted Karras started Cincy Hats when he signed with Cincinnati in 2022 (Spectrum News 1/Katie Kapusta)

The development in Madisonville will have five total units and be independent living for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Karras provided a $500,000 donation to the project, while the rest of it was funded by private donations and by every purchase of a Cincy Hat, something Karras said he is especially grateful for.

The development will include five units which will include full kitchens and laundry (Spectrum News 1/Katie Kapusta)

“This is one of my favorite towns in America,” Karras said. “The people here are generous, are fun, and want to get stuff done, or they’re about action. And so I think that the hat embodies all of that. And it was important for me to seeing all the generosity of the Cincinnati community, make sure we get something done right here.”

Karras helped the construction team out at the groundbreaking (Spectrum News 1/Katie Kapusta)

“I’m so proud,” said Matt Renie the executive director of the Cincy Hat Foundation. “But in some ways, I know how much more of a need there is. And there is a need for hundreds, if not thousands, of more units like this. So it’s daunting.”

Karras and Matt Renie (second from the right) were instrumental in helping this project come to life (Spectrum News 1/Katie Kapusta)

The units are expected to open this fall with applications opening in the spring. Karras said this is just the start, the hope is to build many more units like this across the city of Cincinnati to help with a growing need to have more housing for adults with disabilities.