"All Americans should feel secure when they're at home." With that declaration as a backdrop, the Midwest Regional Administrator for the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development Antonio Riley talked today about more than $1.6-million now being made available to the St. Joseph City Housing Commission to address emergency, safety and security needs for frail and elderly individuals being served by them. The money will help the Lake View Terrace highrise along the St. Joe River front.
The announcement of the new pot of money comes from HUD Secretary Julian Castro. HUD's Capital Fund Emergency Safety and Security Program supports public housing authorities as they address critical needs resulting from an unpreventable or unforeseen emergency that poses an immediate threat to life, health, or safety of residents, or property.
Using these emergency funds, the public housing authority must correct these physical needs within one year. This year, HUD is providing $16.5 million to help public housing authorities confront unforeseen emergencies through this special fund.
Riley reiterated, "All Americans should feel secure when they're at home." He added, "This grant will provide the St. Joseph, Michigan Housing Commission with new resources to protect the health and safety of frail and elderly individuals and promote meaningful access to the community."
This funding will facilitate capital improvements for Lake View Terrace, a 15 story high-rise with 107 units serving low-income elderly and disabled individuals. Currently the brickwork masonry is in a distressed condition caused by brick expansion under moist conditions. As a result, HUD is classifying the masonry repairs and related work as emergency work due to the limited capital funding currently available to the SJHC which results in an unpreventable emergency endangering the lives and safety of frail, elderly and disabled residents at the site.
The St. Joseph Housing Commission is headed up by Executive Director, Nancy E. Walker at 601 Port Street in St. Joseph.
