KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – Kalamazoo is expected to break ground Tuesday on their latest low-income housing project. This one has been a long time in coming and its specifically designed to provide housing and support to recovering substance abusers and their families.
It’s called The Kalrecovery Project.
Matt Hollander with Edison Community Partners says it’s taken 8 years to secure financing from the federal government, the state, city of Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo County, and many others for the 48-unit apartment structure.
“Developing affordable housing is always difficult and this is the most complex project our firm has undertaken ever,” says Hollander.
He says the whole thing nearly fell through last year when the federal government suddenly cancelled a $4 million dollar grant. Hollander thanked the Kalamazoo County board for coming through with money from the Opioid Settlement Fund.
“Because of your commitment, members of our community will soon have access to stable high-quality homes with onsite supportive services, you helped turn a potential crisis into a case study for intergovernmental cooperation,” says Hollander. “Kalamazoo County showed such decisive local resolve the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services committed an additional $2.3 million in state opioid settlement funds to the project.”
Last week, the city of Kalamazoo approved another $350,000 loan from the Housing Development Fund for the housing project, which Mayor Dave Anderson says will serve families in the 30 to 50% average median income range, one of the hardest to find housing for.
“Our project, which will be as affordable as any project has been in recent years, which is Kalrecovery, really really happy that’s gonna move forward.”
Kalamazoo County has seen a significant increase in the number of drug overdoses and deaths in the past decade due to methamphetamines, the opioid crisis, and more recently from fentanyl.
The groundbreaking ceremony will be held Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. at 1900 Belford Street, near the Kalamazoo County Health Department, in the Edison Neighborhood.
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