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State grant to help finance two housing complexes for developmentally disabled

Lewiston Morning Tribune (ID) - 1/28/2015

Jan. 28--PULLMAN -- Two housing complexes for people with developmental disabilities will be constructed in Whitman County after a hefty grant was awarded by Washington'sHousing Trust Fund.

The Community Action Center in Pullman received the $897,000 grant in early December and will construct the housing complexes in Pullman and Colfax.

Dale Miller, the housing development manager for the center, said both complexes will contain four personal living spaces joined by a common area.

"Each person -- just like normal human beings -- has the ability to go in and close their door and be private, so it's a little different concept than group homes," Miller said.

The two units will meet the needs of people who otherwise wouldn't have permanent housing. The Pullman complex will house four women with developmental disabilities who have previously had to move from rental property to rental property, Miller said.

The Pullman structure will be built in a vacant lot at the corner of Summer and Center streets that Miller said is "ideal" for development.

In Colfax, the center will gut a house it already owns at 1007 S. Mill St. The people who live there now will move back in after rehabilitation is complete and stay in temporary housing during construction.

Though not quite group homes, both complexes will provide services to residents.

"The people that are living (at the house in Colfax) now and will be living in these units (in Pullman) need supportive care on an ongoing basis, so there will be a staff person in the facility 24 hours a day," Miller said.

The Community Action Center aims to make the housing as affordable as possible.

"We try to put the financing package together so that it's affordable as is," Miller said.

Construction on the new building in Pullman and renovation of the house in Colfax is set to begin in early April, Miller said. The Community Action Center plans to open a bidding period Feb. 17 for both projects and select a contractor by the second week in March.

Miller anticipates construction will take about four to five months.

The $897,000 grant will cover a bulk of the construction expenses, but Miller said the center had an additional $50,000 available if necessary.

Miller said the organization was pleased to receive the grant.

"We've been quite successful in our housing development of affordable housing," he said.

Embree may be contacted at cembree@lmtribune.com or at (208) 848-2278.

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(c)2015 the Lewiston Tribune (Lewiston, Idaho)

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