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February 22, 2005
Housing projects under wayApartments service those with low incomesByRecord-Eagle staff writer TRAVERSE CITY - Brian Baker appreciated the affordable rent he paid to live in his apartment, where he knew his upstairs neighbor and liked the convenient Front Street location. He also remembers it was run down and leaked. Baker moved out of the apartment to a spot outside of town, where the "outrageous" rent makes a larger dent in his monthly income of government aid. He's staying there until his old apartment complex is rebuilt and he can move back to a brand-new unit with a washer and dryer and living and dining rooms. "Another good reason for moving into the new place is that I can save some money," Baker said. The apartment project is one of two "special needs supportive housing" developments pushed ahead by Foundation for Mental Health Grand Traverse/Leelanau. The $2.6 million project will offer more permanent housing options for the low-income and homeless, said Carol Moorman, the foundation's executive director. "There is a pressing need for affordable housing ... ," she said. "People don't have enough money, and there aren't affordable units." The new housing will nearly double - to 45 - the number of people the foundation can serve. Rent will cost no more than 30 percent of the tenant's monthly income, Moorman said. The plan is to tear down and rebuild a seven-unit apartment building at 872 E. Front in Traverse City and also construct an 11-unit facility on Woodmere Avenue. The project, as well as the purchase of property on Woodmere, is paid for by a combination of state and federal grants and state low income housing tax credits, Moorman said. Planning the project and securing the funding took about four years, she said. The nonprofit foundation's mission is to provide "stable, affordable housing" for people with mental health needs, and board member Jim Elkins said the proof is in this project. "It's been a labor of love and endurance," he said. Patty Szabo's house neighbors the Front Street apartments and she too is excited to see changes made to a place that's "needed a lot of work." "It obviously needed something," she said. "That will be so nice - I'm anxious to see how they do it," Szabo said, adding that the tenants were generally a "really nice, friendly group." For Baker, the new apartment will cut down on his expenses and the time it takes to drive to his job in the cafeteria at Northern Lakes Community Mental Health. "Things are going pretty smooth for me," Baker said. Demolition at the Front Street location could begin as early as this week, Moorman said. She expects both buildings to be finished and occupied by December.
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Record-Eagle/Josh Biggs
