MHDC Approves Funding for PfP's Specialized Housing Development

Online, August 23, 2010 (Newswire.com) - St. Louis, Mo. - Last Friday, Places for People (PfP) received key funding from the Missouri Housing Development Commission (MHDC) that will help develop much-needed supported housing for people with severe and persistent mental illness in St. Louis, Mo.

The funding, a combination of federal and state tax credits and stimulus funds, will comprise a significant portion of the $5.7 million renovation project at 5235 Page. PfP plans to bridge the remaining funding gap through foundation grants and private donations.

Prospective residents at "Places for Page" will be individuals living with severe mental illness who can and want to live independently, but who may need the attention and support provided by on-site staff.

For Missourians living with severe mental disorders, appropriate and safe housing is scarce, making MHDC's approval of this funding significant to the community as well as PfP. Once complete, this supported housing project will provide a unique opportunity for its residents to live successfully in the community.

"We are thrilled to be moving forward," says PfP's Executive Director Francie Broderick. "People with serious mental illness often have a hard time developing relationships in the community and at Page there will be opportunities to socialize in a supportive and nurturing environment as they gain the confidence to become part of the larger community."

Located in the Academy/Sherman Park Neighborhood, Places at Page will act as an anchor for the neighborhood's revitalization. PfP has been grateful for the support of Alderman Frank Williamson. The project will have 23 residential apartments consisting of 9 efficiency apartments, 10 one-bedroom apartments and 4 two-bedroom apartments. Construction is scheduled for a late 2011 completion.

PfP gained start-up capital from the Department of Mental Health, the Sidney R. Baer, Jr. Foundation, and the Federal Home Loan Bank Grant to help support some additional green initiatives in the project. Building amenities include a community kitchen, a living room, various social areas, laundry facility, meeting and conference rooms, an outdoor courtyard and staff offices. Staff will be on-site 24 hours a day and will monitor the entrance as well as provide residents with community support.

"We are taking a building that has been a problem property and restoring it to what it once was - a lovely and historic building the neighborhood can be proud of," says Broderick.

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984, 5235 Page was originally constructed in 1908 and designed by local architect J. Hal Lynch for the Blind Girls' Home known today as The Mary Culver Home for the Visually Impaired. PfP purchased the historic structure in 2008 and has worked with ND Consulting Group, HBD Construction and Jeffrey A. Brambila, AIA Architects & Planners to get the project funded, designed, and demolished. To learn more, visit www.placesforpeople.org.