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Project to provide housing for homeless, domestic violence victims, disabled.
#OceanaCountyNews #Hart
By Allison Scarbrough. Editor.
HART — A housing development project located near the trailhead of the William Field Memorial Hart-Montague Trail aims to provide housing for those who need it most.
Woodland Place Apartments are a 24-unit development located on a nearly eight-acre site at the intersection of Wood and Water streets.
The $4.4 million “affordable housing development” is funded through 
the Michigan State Housing and Development Authority, serving those who are homeless, disabled, victims of domestic violence and people with limited incomes, said Ken Fisher, chairman of the Oceana County Housing Commission.
“The MSHDA, established in 1966, provides financial and technical assistance through public and private partnerships to create and preserve safe and decent affordable housing, engage in community economic development activities, develop vibrant cities, towns and villages, and address homeless issues,” states the MHSDA web site.
“MSHDA’s loans and operating expenses are financed through the sale of tax-exempt and taxable bonds and notes to private investors, not from state tax revenues. Proceeds of the bonds and notes are loaned at below-market interest rates to developers of rental housing, and also fund home mortgages and home improvement loans. MSHDA also administers various federal housing programs.”
“That’s the beauty of the arrangement,” said Fisher. “Investors own the building, which make sure the building is up to code.” The arrangement creatives a strong incentive to not only keep the structure
in good physical condition, but also to ensure that the units are rented out, he said. “It pays for itself.”
Contractors broke ground at the site last week, and the project is expected to be completed within a year, Fisher said. There will be four buildings total, including townhouse units.
Half of the units will be dedicated to domestic violence victims, homeless people and disabled individuals. The other 12 units will be used for income-based housing. An application process will begin within the next month, Fisher said.
There is a definite need for income-based housing in the area, Fisher said, with many Oceana County households at or below poverty level.
“It makes decent housing available to people who are struggling to find homes,” he said.
There were will be one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments available with air conditioning, dishwashers and other appliances.
Officials did their best to award contracts to local businesses, Fisher said, with Hallack Contracting in Hart and Oceana Concrete Construction in Shelby handling approximately $750,000 of the project.
This story is copyrighted © 2017, all rights reserved by Media Group 31, LLC, PO Box 21, Scottville, MI 49454. No portion of this story or images may be reproduced in any way, including print or broadcast, without expressed written consent.
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