The Residences at St. Matthew Revitalize Former Detroit East-Side School
A former Detroit private school will soon help low-income Detroit residents obtain affordable housing. The former St. Matthew School building on Detroit’s east side has been revitalized as The Residences…
A former Detroit private school will soon help low-income Detroit residents obtain affordable housing.
The former St. Matthew School building on Detroit's east side has been revitalized as The Residences at St. Matthew, an affordable housing facility sponsored by Catholic Charities of Southeast Michigan. Catholic Charities will include 360-degree social services to help residents combat addictions, gain meaningful employment, and overcome housing insecurity.
Paul Propson, CEO of Catholic Charities of Southeast Michigan, unveiled The Residences at St. Matthew with Catholic and city leaders during a ribbon cutting on Wednesday, May 7. He said the physical infrastructure and location of St. Matthew's former school building, which closed in 2008, made the building suited to serving as a hub for affordable housing.
“My mother went to this school in the 1950s, and so many people have gone to school here who have come back to visit or made donations to sponsor the apartments,” Propson explained in an interview with the Detroit Catholic. “As a school, it did a wonderful work in forming young lives, but now it will be part of helping people reform and reclaim their lives.”
Detroit Auxiliary Bishop Arturo Cepeda blessed the new facility. Then, members of the community were invited to take a first look at the new residences.
According to the Detroit Catholic, the $20.49 million redevelopment was made possible through a partnership between Catholic Charities of Southeast Michigan and Cinnaire Solutions, a nonprofit real estate development firm.
The project's financing came from the Michigan State Housing Development Authority's Low Income Housing Tax Credits, the Federal Home Loan Bank, the City of Detroit HOME Funds, and the Michigan Historic Preservation Tax Credit.
The Residences at St. Matthew features 46 affordable apartments. Twenty-five units are reserved for permanent supportive housing for individuals who formerly experienced homelessness.
