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Facility for abused, homeless sought for Danville

July 10, 2007|TODD KLEFFMAN

Downtown Danville could soon be a place where victims of domestic violence and homelessness come to live.

The Brenda Cowan Coalition, in partnership with Redwood Properties, hopes to build a $2.5-million, 24-unit apartment complex on Walnut Street next to Constitution Square. The development would house victims of domestic violence and the homeless from the 16 Central Kentucky counties served by the non-profit Cowan Coalition.

The Danville City Commission voted unanimously Monday night to commit $5,000 in services toward the project.

The city's commitment will enhance the project's chances of being accepted for a $100,000 loan needed to fund the complex, said Charlie Raffay of Redwood Properties, which would manage the facility.

Raffay said the project is competing with similar proposals for federal and state tax credits, grants and other funding methods. Deadline for applications is July 16. If the application is successful, construction could start in the fall, Raffay said.

Willetta Fitzgerald of the Cowan Coalition, which is headquartered in Lexington and has an office in Danville, said the agency's clients are screened, have to be willing to work, undergo background checks and be "100 percent homeless" or in need of shelter after fleeing an abusive relationship.

The apartments can become a permanent home if residents meet criteria such as working, taking classes and other areas, but the idea is for them to regain their footing and move on, Fitzgerald said.

Rent is 30 percent of a resident's salary. "They are required to work. It's not a free ride at all," Fitzgerald said under questioning from commissioners. "The ultimate goal is to have them become homeowners."

Bang for the buck

Fitzgerald said the development fits in with the city's goal of having more people live downtown. "It brings more people into the downtown area, makes it more vital," she said.

Commissioner Terry Crowley said he thinks the city's commitment of $5,000 in services to the project will be a lot of "bang for the buck."

"I applaud what you're trying to do," Crowley said. "It's sobering to realize in our own beautiful community that we have this problem. We'd like to think we don't, but we do."

Fitzgerald said the Danville project, if selected for funding, will be the first of its kind in the state and model for similar apartments in other communities. There is shortage in the region of affordable living spaces for people in need of a new start in life, she said. "We do not have enough housing in the 16 counties we serve," she said.

The coalition has already placed several clients in different private apartments around the area, Fitzgerald said. But there are not enough affordable two- and three-bedroom apartments available, she said.

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