Tender Mercies to rehab Harkavy Hall

(NOTE: In a story last week, I posted about Tender Mercies, Inc. being awarded federal tax credits for their Harkavy Hall project. Tender Mercies CEO Bren Blaine has provided me with more information on the project, which I didn't have at the time.)


Harkavy Hall, provided

Tender Mercies plans on beginning the rehabilitation of its Harkavy Hall building in May 2008.

The building, at 24 W Twelfth Street, currently contains permanent housing for 30 formerly homeless, severely mentally ill people. It also contains communal facilities, laundry facilities, a barber shop and a common area for residents.

As part of the $4 million project*, the entire building will be gutted and rebuilt to code, with an elevator, fireproof stairwells and ADA accessability. More modern and efficient HVAC will also be added.

The 30 single-room occupancy units will be reconfigured, and an unusable basement will be finished and will include an office, storage space and a new barber shop.

The structure's historical facade will also be restored.

Residents will be moved to one of Tender Mercies' other five buildings during construction.

Funding for the project comes from Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, Historical Tax Credits, private foundations and individual donors.

Construction should be completed by the end of 2008.

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* Actual construction costs: $2.8 million

OTR transitional housing moving to McMicken

45-47 E McMicken Avenue

City Council has voted unanimously to extend a forgivable loan to Over-the-Rhine Community Housing for an affordable housing project.

The loan of $881,000 comes from federal HOME funds and will be used to rehab the building at 45-47 E McMicken Avenue into transitional housing.

The completed building, called McMicken Transitional Housing, will include nine efficiency apartments and three one-bedroom units. An on-site office will be staffed by representatives from the Drop Inn Center.

Units will be made available to people with a gross income at or below 60 percent of area median income.

Transitional housing had been located at Twelfth and Elm streets. That site was demolished for the future School for the Creative and Performing Arts.

Construction on the new site is expected to cost just over $1 million. The funding gap will be closed with a $134,000 grant.

Completion should be expected in about a year.

Federal HOME grants are given to states and localities to create affordable housing for low-income people.

The program, which is administered by HUD, allocates about $2 billion per year.

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North Avondale: Multi-family at 3816 Reading

A new multi-family building is coming to 3816 Reading Road in North Avondale.

Permits are in route, but the details are sketchy.

I have been able to dig up some documents regarding HUD and I have reason to believe that this may be either a VA inpatient facility or a facility for homeless vets.

I still don't know how many units, but I do know that it will contain offices, which leads me to believe that my suspicion is true.

The land at 3816 Reading, which is across from Seasongood Square, is currently vacant and has been so for at least 11 years.

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