TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WAWV/WTWO) – Mayor Duke Bennett estimated 30 to 40 million dollars in housing development projects will be brought to the city with the next 12 to 18 months.
The city has plans to further assess the housing need with a housing study in the near future.
“We’re putting people in quality housing to help people be able to move up and that’s an important goal,” Bennett said.
Mayor Bennett said Mental Health America of West Central Indiana is one of the many organization that has continued to work with the city to provide housing. He said the first three projects have been fairly successful.
“If you make an investment it kind of turns into additional things because everybody is looking at the need,”Bennett said.
Chief Executive Officer of Mental Health America of West Central Myra Wilkey said between the increased need for no to low income housing as well as the success they’ve had with projects like Liberty Village, it was time to create a fourth project.
“Our homeless outreach workers have about 99 people on their case load and there are only two of them,” Wilkey said. “So as we were thinking about the need we really thought we should expand.”
The new project will face the west lot of Liberty Village and will house 42 one bedroom households, a maximum of two people allowed in each unit. The projected will be funded through tax credits as well as some development funding. Wilkey said they are working to secure $500,000 more dollars to have a diversion center on the lower level.
“Housing is the first step in getting on your feet without having to worry about the basic needs in order to be housed,” Wilkey said.
Construction for the new complex will start at the end of August.
