DETROIT — Cass Community Special Services will celebrate the opening of the Antisdel Apartments at 1584 Elmhurst 10 a.m. on Nov. 7. The apartments will provide housing for 41 homeless men and women. Mitch Albom will emcee the ceremony with the new tenants in attendance. Tours of the new apartments are available.
The 34,500 square-foot apartments were dedicated Oct. 2012 to provide the homeless safe, secure, and affordable housing. The units were designed to meet Michigan State Housing Development Authority’s accessibility requirements for the visually and hearing impaired. The building also meets HUD’s standards, providing handicapped accessibility on the lower levels and communal areas.
The building will be smoke-drug-alcohol-free and includes a community lounge, meeting room and kitchen, recreation room, laundry facility, barber shop/salon, and computer room. Apartments come fully furnished with energy efficient appliances and furniture. A house-warming program donated towels, kitchenware, trash containers and bedding.
The project was funded through grants from the City of Detroit, the Michigan State Housing Development Authority and Housing and Urban Development. The project has also received funding by using low-income housing tax credits and a grant from the Federal Home Loan Bank, and donations.
“The dramatic transformation of the building and grounds is only eclipsed by what it will mean for the men and women moving in to safe, affordable and permanent housing. For many, it will be the first time in more than a decade to have the dignity and privacy that a door and a key provide,” said Executive Director Rev. Faith Fowler. “They will be members of a growing community, too – mentors and role models for those wondering if they can escape the streets or move out of the shelters, if they can secure employment or earn a degree, if they can maintain sobriety or improve their mental health.”
Antisdel Apartments expands the community service’s campus by nearly two blocks. Residents will be able to walk to educational programs, vocational training and Green Industries’ jobs, outdoor space, health care and HIV/AIDS screening, multiple 12 step programs, musical groups and worship opportunities.
