EUGENE, Ore. (AP) - Lane County officials are seeking $11.7 million in funds to design and construct a 50-unit apartment building in Eugene that would house homeless people and offer them support services.
The apartment complex will cost the county $8.5 million to build and an additional $3.2 million in “soft” costs such design work and legal fees, the Register-Guard reported (https://bit.ly/2wqHt8G).
County officials plan to fund a portion of the building through a federal program that gives low-income housing developers federal income tax credits that they can later sell to investors to raise money. They will look for federal, state and local funds to pay for the remaining tab.
The four-story building will have studio-size units with a sleeping area, private bathroom and kitchenette. Along with offices and counseling centers, the building will also be equipped with a laundry facility and meeting rooms.
The county’s last one-day homeless count identified over 1,500 people who were living on the streets and in homeless shelters in the metro area.
Future tenants will be accepted regardless of sobriety or criminal history and have access to drug and alcohol treatment, job training and other services at the apartment building, said Steve Manela, the county’s human services manager. Officials expect to cover a part of the operating costs through a rental subsidy from the federal government. Tenants with jobs will be expected to pay 30 percent of their monthly adjusted gross income for their unit.
“We’re pretty darn close to having all the service and operating pieces figured out,” he said. “The main thing we’re looking at now is the money for the construction.”
Once finished, the apartment building would be managed by the Housing and Community Service Agency of Lane County or a property manager hired by the agency, Manela said.
Official hope to break ground on the project by next summer.
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Information from: The Register-Guard, https://www.registerguard.com
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