Funds help renovate 24 units for low-income residents
THDA grant will help Eastern 8 maintain affordable housing
Dec. 10, 2021 – A grant from the Tennessee Housing Development Agency will assist Eastern 8 Community Development Corporation in its efforts to provide affordable housing in Hawkins County.
The $441,071 Tennessee Housing Trust Fund grant will be used by Eastern 8 to renovate the 24-unit Glenview Apartments located in Church Hill. Eastern 8 took over management of the affordable housing property to ensure rent for residents would stay below market rates.
THDA Executive Director Ralph M. Perrey said the grant funding will allow Eastern 8 to continue providing an important resource for low-income residents of Hawkins County.
“Everyone is entitled to have safe, decent and affordable housing,” Perrey said. “This funding will give Eastern 8 the ability to modernize these apartments and continue providing affordable housing for individuals and families that need it.”
Eastern 8 Executive Director Sherry Trent said the grant funding was crucial to moving the project forward.
“The funding from THDA will be used to pay for the upgrades and help us be able to keep the rent low” Trent said. “If these units went to market rates, the people living there would be out on the streets. For us to be able to preserve and maintain these as low-income units is important for Church Hill and Hawkins County.”
Trent said no current residents will be displaced during the renovation of the apartments. Eastern 8 plans to spend between $15,000 and $20,000 upgrading each unit, she said. Work is expected to be complete by late fall of 2022.
When finished, the apartments will feature new heating units, water heaters, doors and windows, as well as energy-efficient appliances. Deferred maintenance on units and Americans with Disabilities Act deficiencies will also be addressed as feasible.
The apartments will continue to serve residents that make less than 80 percent of the Area Median Income. Residents will also be able to maintain their project-based rental assistance through USDA Rural Development.
Photo by Wes Bunch.
