Eastpointe and Macomb County officials celebrated the completion of a $1.8 million affordable housing project Thursday afternoon with a traditional ribbon cutting ceremony.
“We are really excited about this,” said Eastpointe Economic Development Director Ian McCain. “There is really a need for this kind of housing and we hope to be able to do more projects like this in other areas of the city.”
McCain said he would like to see a project with retail on the first floor and apartments above.
The Kelly Court Apartments, located on the northeast corner of Kelly and Toepfer roads, are eight modular homes built into two separate units with four apartments in each. There are four 698 square foot one-bedroom apartments; three two-bedroom units that are 889 square feet as well as a one-bedroom ADA unit of the same size for someone who is disabled on the three-quarter acre parcel.
(PHOTO BY SUSAN SMILEY)
The project was funded through federal HOME funds from the Macomb HOME Consortium under the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and by the Community Housing Network, based in Troy, which also coordinated the project. Macomb County Planning and Economic Development was also a partner in the project.
Monthly rents will range from $946-$1,376. Two units will be occupied by families with incomes that do not exceed 50 percent of HUD adjusted area median income (AMI). The remaining six units will be occupied by families with incomes that do not exceed 60 percent of AMI.
Construction began in the spring and residents will be able to move into the apartments in August. According to the Community Housing Network, more than 300 applications have been received for the apartments.
According to the U.S. Department of Treasury, rent and housing prices have increased at a much faster rate than incomes for the past two decades. The National Alliance to End Homelessness reports a minimum wage worker would have to work 2.4 full time jobs in order to afford a one-bedroom apartment at a fair market rate.
Nationwide, the NAEH estimates there is a nationwide shortfall of 3.8 million affordable homes. In Michigan, the shortfall is estimated to be 185,354 with the majority of the need being in Metro Detroit.
“Modular developments such as Kelly Court offer an innovative solution to the affordable housing crisis we face as a nation,” said Kirsten Elliot, president and CEO of Community Housing Network. “We have created a model for workforce housing that can be built on smaller tracts of land so more people can live in the communities where they work.
Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel talked about the importance of having a place to call home and reminisced about growing up in the Kramer Homes complex in Center Line before his family moved to a home in Warren. He said the high cost of housing is preventing many people from easily finding a suitable home.
Hackel said while many of the northern Macomb County communities with vacant land are seeing new houses being built, getting any kind of housing and especially affordable housing into established communities without a lot of unoccupied land is challenging.
“We understand that housing affordability and attainability are challenges facing many of our communities,” said Hackel. “That’s why we work closely with partner organizations and agencies to address the gaps that currently exist.
“There is more to be done but I’m proud of this project in Eastpointe and thrilled that it will soon help people to make Macomb their home.”