Hope Harbor plans land acquisition, housing expansion effort in Grand Island | Grand Island Local News

At Thursday’s conference of Neighborhood Progress Block Grant stakeholders, Hope Harbor Executive Director Liz Mayfield detailed options to broaden its housing options.

Hope Harbor is requesting $195,000 in CDBG funds to enable with the effort and hard work.

“We’re in the thick of negotiations for this property,” Mayfield mentioned. “We’re shifting forward just type of assuming that will all function out.”

A overall of $365,907 in CDBG resources is available this calendar year via the U.S. Section of Housing & Urban Enhancement.

Of that, $310,907 offered for allocation and $55,000 reserved for the city.

Also requesting cash are: Railside, for modest company rental aid ($25,000) Central Nebraska Neighborhood Motion Partnership, for crisis payments ($20,000) and KDL Baby Care for facility upgrades ($128,217).

Hope Harbor assists people today and family members that are experiencing homelessness.

There is a have to have for an growth of its companies, as identified by a 5-yr system accomplished in 2021, Mayfield reported.

“There is unquestionably a require for these avoidance providers,” she explained. “In other phrases, expert services to avoid homelessness from occurring.”

Maintaining persons housed is “the very best scenario scenario” for prevention of homelessness.

This was a challenge in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, as the shelter was forced to restrict the range of men and women it took on, Mayfield claimed.

To tackle these types of housing concerns, Hope Harbor is growing its program to include “supportive housing” through land acquisition.

“We have been approached by the owner of the attributes to obtain the land,” she reported. “We’ve been in negotiations with him for some time. Having said that, with the current market currently being how it is, he’s now obtaining competitive bids, people who are also wanting to order the land, so time is of the essence for us to transfer ahead.”

The buildings on the great deal would be demolished and the land would be held for upcoming use.

This would not lower Grand Island’s housing inventory, Mayfield reported.

“Our board of directors toured the qualities and we don’t imagine, the amount of money of upgrades or funds we place into it, would not be right for what we would get in return out of it,” she stated. “It’s a strategic order that would temporarily lessen the housing stock with the thought of including stock in the long term.”

About the future 5 to 7 yrs, Hope Harbor strategies to develop the heaps to build a least 10 housing models by a combine of supportive housing and conventional residences.

“Supportive housing” incorporates wraparound services, this kind of as circumstance management and mental health providers, said Mayfield.

“We have men and women in our community who are chronically homeless and in our shelter frequently,” she said. “Those people will really never enter into the private market place.”

Hope Harbor would also attract from its possess funding, set aside for expansion order, and strategies to pursue more federal funding and launch a funds campaign.

City Administrator Jerry Janulewicz expressed considerations at Thursday’s assembly that Hope Harbor offers solutions only to females and family members, which can consist of gentlemen, and not personal adult men.

“We really don’t copy providers with Salvation Army or Crossroads,” Mayfield explained. “They really don’t serve any households. They only provide one males. We provide primarily absolutely everyone else. We have guys residing in our shelter all the time, but they’re part of a two-mother or father household, a one dad with youngsters, or a married few.”

She extra, “Single girls can occur, but not single guys.”

No conclusions have been made nevertheless for allocation of the 2022 CDBG resources.

CDBG stakeholders will meet Thursday, June 2, at Grand Island Metropolis Corridor, to go over this year’s grant applicants.

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