The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) awarded more than $51 million in housing assistance to non-profit organizations across the country to finance more housing construction, provide rental assistance, and facilitate supportive services delivery for very low-income seniors.
“Expanding affordable housing opportunities is a priority, especially for our nation’s most vulnerable populations,” said HUD Secretary Ben Carson. “These awards will facilitate capital investment in senior housing developments and create roughly 1,100 new homes, the majority for very low-income seniors.”
Among those awarded funds was Tapestry Development Group, Inc. in the amount of $2,661,593. At a City of Dillon Council meeting last year, they, along with the Dillon Historic School Foundation, presented their proposed project for the J.V. Martin property.
Tonya Haddock, the managing partner of Cadence Development, said at this meeting that if they received this grant it would afford them the opportunity to do “some pretty amazing things” with this property. She said they want to restore the auditorium back to its original state. They will lease it back to the DHSF, and DHSF will be able to do theatre shows out of there and things of that nature.
Haddock said they will have 33 one-bedroom apartments for seniors and will do social and supportive services not just for the people who live there, but also for the community at large.
Haddock said they want to re-do the gymnasium, have a beauty parlor and a barbershop on location, and offer classes like yoga and art.
She said their vision is to reinvent while still using the bones of the property bringing it back to a state to be a beautiful gateway back to the downtown area.
This is not assisted living. This is senior housing, an apartment, designed to allow people to age in place. These apartments are for independent people who want to do things that bring them back to the community. She said these people might want to do certain programs such as community gardening, taking a dance class, listening to a lecture, etc.
She told council members to think of this as a one-bedroom apartment. They will have a kitchen in the apartment, but they want to utilize the kitchen at the school and offer cooking classes. In accordance with the standards, the apartments must be 750 sq. ft., but no larger than 950 sq. ft.
The approximate monthly rent will be $595 and includes water and sewer, but not utilities.
Haddock said she had done about 12 of these developments in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and Georgia.