DONALDSONVILLE — Today, The Louisiana Housing Corporation (LHC) alongside local and federal partners celebrated a ribbon cutting for brand-new public housing units for low to moderate-income families called Johnson Memorial Homes (JMH).
JMH is 12-unit rental housing, which offers a selection of 2-bedroom and 3-bedroom units. Each unit will feature a spacious floor plan and a garage for residents.
LHC awarded $1.5 million in 2016 Floods CDBG-DR Funds through its Neighborhood Landlord Rental Program. LHC had been working with Donaldsonville Housing Authority since 2017 to get this project done.
“At Louisiana Housing Corporation, we are here to provide funding assistance for affordable, safe and energy-efficient housing across Louisiana, and we are willing to work at it no matter how long it takes,” said LHC Executive Director Joshua G. Hollins. “We will work until we see projects, like Johnson Memorial Homes, come to fruition.”
“The Great Floods of 2016 severely affected Louisiana homeowners and businesses alike, but the devastating effect on affordable housing for our financially challenged residents was especially heartbreaking,” Pat Forbes, executive director of the Louisiana Office of Community Development, said. “Johnson Memorial Homes is a critically needed addition to the low-income housing stock in this area and we are pleased LHC partnered with the Donaldsonville Housing Authority to build these new construction units using HUD disaster recovery funding.”
Partners for this project included the Donaldsonville Housing Authority and the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. “LHC was the perfect partner that we needed, not just in terms of funding, but guiding us through the process to help us revitalize this portion of our community,” said Donaldsonville Housing Authority Executive Director Ruth Franklin. “We wanted residents to feel proud to call this their home, and we are proud to say we have done that.”
The name Johnson Memorial Homes was named after the memory of Reginald J. Johnson Sr. Johnson was a commissioner for 36 years and was a former Donaldsonville Housing Authority resident.
For more information, contact Donaldsonville Housing Authority
Phone Number: (225) 473-9486
Email: donaldsonvilleha@bellsouth.net
ABOUT LHC
The purpose of the LHC is to substantially increase the availability of affordable, accessible, and safe residential housing in Louisiana. The LHC was created in 2011 when the Louisiana Legislature merged the Louisiana Housing Finance Agency with housing programs from other state agencies to streamline how the state would address its housing needs, avoid duplication of efforts, and improve service to the general public. The LHC administers federal and state funds through programs designed to advance the development of energy-efficient and affordable housing for low- and moderate-income families, drives housing policy for Louisiana, and oversees the state’s Disaster Housing Task Force.
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