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July 30, 2011 For more information, contact: MRPC recognized for assisting senior housing rehabilitation projects The grant writing and project management efforts of the Meramec Regional Planning Commission has brought more than $5.6 million in senior housing renovations, benefiting 643 residents in 17 senior citizen housing complexes in South Central Missouri since 2002. Recently the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recognized MRPC for its work during two ribbon-cutting celebrations, held July 6 for completed senior housing projects in St. Clair and Arcadia Valley. Also honored was the Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines, Iowa (FHLB) who provided the majority of grant funds for the renovation work. MRPC was the grant writer for the St. Clair project and also provided contract management, construction monitoring and inspection services for both St. Clair and Arcadia Valley projects. At the St. Clair celebration, USDA Rural Development State Director Janie Dunning honored partnerships of those involved in the renovation of the Greater St. Clair Homes, Inc. through a $403,850 FHLB grant. “It’s all of us coming together to make a huge difference,” Dunning said. “I would be very proud to have my family or myself be a resident in your complex,” she told residents and board members. The FHLB’s Affordable Housing Program (AHP) has funded 19 projects in Congressional District 9 from 2006 to Dec. 31, 2010 and brought $5.4 million into area. AHP assists in homeownership and rental housing needs of low-to-moderate income households by partnerships with member financial institutions and local community development organizations. FHLB-DM is partners with more than 1,200 member financial institutions in Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota. Though created by Congress in 1932, the Federal Home Loan Bank system is a private corporation. Each year, FHLB-DM commits 10 percent of its annual net income to developing affordable housing. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO-9) was the keynote speaker at the St. Clair celebration, saying the project benefited the residents of the complex and the entire community. Luetkemeyer commended the board for its determination and hard work to get the project completed. He also noted the value of the project to the future residents of the complex, the importance of installing energy-efficient appliances and the benefit of temporary construction jobs created by the project. Also on July 6, USDA celebrated the completed renovations to the Frederick Terrace Apartments in Acadia Valley through a $483,220 FHLB grant to Arcadia Valley Senior Citizens, Inc. MRPC began assisting with FHLB funds for senior housing improvements in 2002 and has since helped bring more than $4 million into the area. MRPC has also helped secure Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds to help rehabilitate senior housing. Since 2004, MRPC has worked to bring more than $1.6 million in CDBG funding into the area for senior housing improvements. The CDBG program began in 1974 with the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and is one of the longest, continually run programs of HUD. The program allows communities access to resources to address a wide range of community development needs. HUD distributes CDBG funds for rural Missouri to the Missouri Department of Economic Development, who competitively distributes funds through an application process. For more information on CDBG or FHLB projects, contact Kelly Sink-Blair, project development manager at MRPC, at (573) 265-2993 or by email at kellysb@meramecregion.org . |