Construction begins on 38 low-incoming housing units at the former Kohr Administration Building next month.
The Bloomington Housing Authority announced plans last November for the $20 million project. It will consist mostly of one-bedroom units and will take over two years to complete.
“Projects like this are rare,” said Nathan Ferreira, director of real estate development for the Bloomington Housing Authority. “Opportunities like this are rare. And I think this is going to serve our community for decades to come.”
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In addition to the BHA, project partners and funding sources include Brinshore Development, the City of Bloomington, the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority and the National Housing Trust Fund.
Nine units in the Kohr Building will be reserved for formerly homeless people on the Continuum of Care (COC) list. Those nine must make less than 30 percent of the median area income to qualify. The other tenants will be people on the BHA’s waitlist. Those tenants must earn less than 50 percent of the median area income to qualify.
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The new development will house an office for Centerstone, an addiction and counseling treatment facility across the street from the new units.
“That support is going to be available to not just the nine folks off the COC list, but all of our residents,” said Karly Brinla, Brinshore’s vice president and development manager. “That will include assistance with access, Medicaid and Medicare. It will include all sorts of other casework and job training and help just maintaining day-to-day life.”
The housing will become part of the future Hopewell neighborhood.
A Bloomington 2020 housing study estimated that the city would need an additional 2,592 housing units over the next decade, including rental and mortgage housing. The 2024 housing study update estimates Bloomington will need 4,155 more units by 2035.
Aubrey is our higher education reporter and a Report For America corps member. Contact her at aubmwrig@iu.edu or follow her on X @aubreymwright .
