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Senior Housing Project To Start

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By YVETTE C. HAMMETT

The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 24, 2008

BRANDON - Construction of a long-awaited apartment complex for low-income seniors is set to begin soon, and the units should be ready for occupancy in about a year.

Leaders and members of Apostles Lutheran Church, the corporate sponsor for the nonprofit Apostles Village, plan to celebrate the groundbreaking Sunday with a picnic after church services, after which they will head to property next door for the official turning of the dirt.

The Rev. C. Handlee Vige, pastor of Apostles Lutheran on Kingsway Road, said the complex at Kingsway and Sadie Street should be finished in about a year.

The complex will feature 55 one-bedroom apartments for singles or couples who qualify. Eligibility will be based on financial need, calculated using the median income for Hillsborough County.

Residents will have access to a part-time social worker, a resident manager and a maintenance worker. The buildings will be managed by LifeLink Corp., a nonprofit charitable health and human service organization.

Residents will get assistance with homemaking and transportation and receive respite and adult day care as needed. They'll also have opportunities to socialize and have meals delivered to their homes.

"It is strictly independent living," Vige said.

The church is hearing from people excited about Apostles Village.

"The phone calls are already coming in," said Beth Von Werne, director of community housing for Lutheran Services of Florida.

"There is a lot of excitement, tempered by relief," Vige said.

Church leaders had hoped to have the complex built and occupied by now, Vige said. It took longer than expected to work out the details with the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development.

And then there were the skyrocketing construction costs.

Hillsborough County pledged $265,000 in Community Development Block Grant funds for the property. HUD committed $6.3 million to cover construction costs, but it wasn't enough.

Von Werne said the county then pitched in an additional $935,000 from the State Housing Initiatives Partnership, or SHIP, a state program that awards local governments money to foster development of affordable housing.

Senior housing is sorely needed, Von Werne said.

"The Lutheran Services board had participated in an elder needs survey a few years back, and elder housing showed up as a huge need," she said.

Apostles Lutheran had land available and a desire to expand the church's senior ministry, Von Werne said. "So, the project ended up in Brandon."

This is the first affordable housing project taken on by Lutheran Services of Florida, she said.

Church officials expect a long list of prospective tenants, who will at first be chosen by lottery system, said Apostles Lutheran administrator Ron Beisecker. After that, as apartments become available, tenants will be chosen based on when they turned in their application. The sooner the application is turned in, the sooner the tenant will be moved in.

To get on a tenants' waiting list and receive monthly updates on the village's progress, call Apostles Lutheran at (813) 689-2571.

Reporter Yvette C. Hammett can be reached at (813) 657-4532 or yhammett@tampatrib.com.

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