Clare Terrace, a 33 unit supportive housing development, broke ground in Robbinsdale, MN. Clare Terrace will be a new construction 28,000 sq. foot building and is targeted to persons living with HIV/AIDS who are also very low income, experiencing homelessness or at significant risk of homelessness. Clare Midtown will consist of 12 one bedroom apartments and 21 efficiency units. All units will be affordable at 30% of the area median income and tenants will pay 30% of their income toward rent.
The city of Robbinsdale has been very supportive of this development. City Council member Pat Backen, pictured here, stated that “Clare Housing provides dignity, hope and compassion to their residents, and I would argue, the communities they inhabit. These intangibles are hard to measure, and sometimes overlooked, but are truly the things that make a city more than just a place to sleep before heading back to work. They are the things that build a community.” He went on to say that “Robbinsdale is a city that is bursting with pride, and our residents love this city fiercely. I know that this pride and love will be extended to Clare Terrace and the newest Robbinsdale residents as they move in.”
CSH has provided technical assistance to Clare Housing for the past ten years, and recently provided this development with a $406,000 loan for pre-development and acquisition costs.
George Stone, CSH Director in MN, spoke about previous developments created by Clare Housing, such as Clare Apartments and Clare Midtown, totaling 77 units of supportive housing. He went on to say that “Once again CSH has been fortunate enough to assist our friends at Clare with the development of this fantastic new opportunity. An opportunity built on the same model of success as their previous projects, yet incorporating the lessons learned over the years to improve services and housing, and casting an even further and much needed geographic reach.” George congratulated Clare Housing on “your incredible past, your bright present, and your brilliant future.”
Chuck Peters, Clare Housing Executive Director stated that their mantra is “housing is healthcare, and housing is also HIV prevention.” It is estimated that over 7,500 people in the state of Minnesota are living with HIV or AIDS, and fifty percent of this population will experience homelessness or have a housing crisis during the course of their illness. This is why Clare Housing continues to create quality supportive housing for this population.
The project has been financed with a tax credit award worth approximately $4.8 million from the MN Housing Finance Agency, $100,000 in HOPWA (Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS) funds from the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development, $1,054,000 from Minnesota Housing and the Metropolitan Council, and $500,000 from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines, for a total of $6.4 million.
