$12.5M complex planned for veterans

National Church Residences to build 75 apartments

4/5/2014

A 75-unit apartment complex specifically for low-income or formerly homeless veterans is planned for former Lucas County-owned land in South Toledo.

National Church Residences, a nonprofit organization, is developing a $12.5 million veterans’ housing project at 1065 Garden Lake Pkwy., near South Detroit and Arlington avenues.

The project, to be called The Commons at Garden Lake, will be owned and managed by the Columbus-based National Church Residences, which developed and operates a similar complex in Columbus.

Amy Rosenthal, project leader, said the supportive housing community will provide veterans with on-site social, educational, vocational, and health-care support services to allow more opportunity for stability and self-sufficiency.

“The project will serve veterans who are homeless or disabled,” Ms. Rosenthal said. “The ultimate goal is to serve the homeless and disabled veterans of northwest Ohio with permanent housing and supportive services.”

Construction at the four-acre site will begin in June, with completion expected in the summer of 2015. The housing will be available for rent by veterans who meet income guidelines for federal housing vouchers.

National Church Residences bought the land in February from Lucas County for $25,000, according to county tax records. The apartments will be within a mile of a Veterans Administration outpatient clinic that opened in 2012 on South Detroit.

Ms. Rosenthal said about 15 percent of the homeless in the United States are U.S. military veterans.

The project is being financed through a combination of private loans and public money from Toledo, Lucas County, and the federal government. The project’s federal funds were secured by U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D. Toledo).

“We have worked for years to enhance services to our community’s veterans,” Miss Kaptur said in a prepared statement. “The establishment of permanent supportive housing for some of the most vulnerable men and women is another big step in meeting the needs of all veterans. I am so pleased with this coordinated effort to bring our dreams to fruition.”

The Lucas Metropolitan Housing Authority has received approval from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for 35 voucher subsidies and plans to apply for funding to support the remaining 40 units in the complex, said Linnie B. Willis, the housing authority’s executive director.

Ms. Willis said LMHA is working with Veterans Affairs Ann Arbor Healthcare System to administer the voucher program for veterans who qualify for assistance to live in the complex.

The Lucas County Veterans’ Service Commission will pay for the apartments’ furniture and Veterans Matter, a local homeless organization, will cover rental deposits.

Contact Mark Reiter at: markreiter@theblade.com or 419-724-6199.