Fund infusion helps city HRA improve housing

Published 12:00 am Wednesday, August 6, 2003

In a brightly lit room, with plush carpeting and windows that open onto a patio, four elderly women play Uno as they do &uot;as much as (they) can.&uot;

Two years ago, the room was dark and dingy. The carpeting was 30 years worn. It wasn’t a pleasant place to play, according to the group of women.

But that has changed.

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&uot;It’s a lot better than what we had before,&uot; said Almyra Seheh, a resident at the Shady Oaks tower on Fourth Avenue. &uot;It just looks like a new building.&uot;

Shady Oaks is public housing complex run by the Albert Lea Housing and Redevelopment Authority. Its 129 rental units are rented out to the elderly, the &uot;near elderly,&uot; and the disabled. Over the past five years, it has seen many improvements.

The renovations were paid for by the Capital Fund Program (CFP), a federal program that grants money to local housing authorities to use for living space improvements.

Last Friday, it was announced that Albert Lea’s Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA) would be getting $212,066 from the CFP in 2003.

According to Jon Ford, the head of Albert Lea’s HRA, CFP grants have been given to the city for the past five years. He said the $212,066 is the smallest grant that the HRA has received in that time. He also said that the program that funds the CFPs ends after this year’s money is distributed.

Ford said the funds can be used for a variety of projects.

In the past the HRA has used the money to refurbish Shady Oaks’ recreational rooms, to add patios to the front and back of the building, update electrical wiring at both Shady Oaks and the nearly 60 other housing units the HRA runs in Albert Lea and &uot;find ways to decrease living cost for our residents,&uot; Ford said.

The HRA gets just over $560,000 for

yearly funds in public housing. Ford said the $212,066 will be a significant amount of money to use toward the projects.

There is little elasticity in how the CFP funds can be spent.

&uot;We can’t use those funds for our salaries or benefits,&uot; Ford said. &uot;The primary benefactors of capital funds have to be the tenants.&uot;

Ford said they plan to use what might be their final grant to pay for bringing units up to date with electrical, heating, handicapped-accessibility and window improvements.

&uot;Anytime you improve one person’s living situation, your improve the whole neighborhood,&uot; Ford said.

(Contact Peter Cox at peter.cox@albertleatribune.com or 379-3439.)