McAdams Haven, a new affordable multifamily housing project, seeks to address a 鈥渄eep need for supportive housing in our community,鈥� George Ferrie, board president of the Denton Affordable Housing Corporation, told the Denton City Council last week.
A collaboration between the housing corporation, Denton County MHMR and Austin-based developer O-SDA Industries, McAdams Haven also includes a goal of establishing a mutual trust relationship between support service teams and tenants who have been chronically homeless or without stable housing for more than a year, Ferrie explained.
They will be partnering with local agencies such as MHMR and Our Daily Bread, Together with Monsignor King Outreach Center, which operates the Denton Community Shelter, and offering onsite services such as mental health resources, medical appointment support and transportation assistance for substance use recovery meetings.
鈥淭his project isn鈥檛 just about housing,鈥� Ferrie said during the council鈥檚 Feb. 18 meeting. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about supporting human dignity.鈥�
Though McAdams Haven can be built by right since the area is zoned for multifamily, a narrow council majority, 4-3, approved issuing a resolution of support for the 9% federal housing tax credit that DAHC sought for the project.
If approved by the state, the credit could exempt an estimated $141,000 in property taxes.
The deadline to apply for the housing tax credit program is Friday, Feb. 28. The program is funded by the federal government and administered by the states; it is one of the biggest funding sources for affordable rental homes.
Awards will be announced in July.
In the application for resolution of support, DAHC stressed that the 9% tax credit is important because DAHC in partnership with MHMR were chosen in November to apply for a HUD grant, CoC Builds, by the .
If awarded, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will contribute $10 million to the McAdams Haven project, DAHC staff pointed out.
鈥淭his LIHTC [Low-Income Housing Tax Credit] application is crucial to providing the funds to be able to receive the grant and fund the construction,鈥� DAHC staff wrote in the application.
DAHC added that its staff works closely with local shelters and outreach agencies to help clients get housed and stay housed. The housing corporation also partners with local agencies such as Denton County MHMR and Giving Grace to provide more intensive case management for clients as needed. In addition, they receive food boxes from the Denton Community Food Center to address food insecurity and supplement for rent and utilities.
helped start the affordable housing corporation and was the first woman of color elected to the Denton City Council in 1984.
McAdams Haven was one of three affordable housing projects to receive resolutions of support from the council for housing tax credits during last week鈥檚 meeting. The other two were Roselawn Village Apartments, which is seeking a 4% housing tax credit, and Palladium Fallmeadow Denton, which is applying for a 9% credit.
Roselawn Village will bring 297 units for individuals and families who earn between 30% and 70% of the area median income. Palladium Fallmeadow will offer 81 units for individuals and families earning between 30% and 80% AMI.
McAdams Haven will have 84 efficiency units, 60 of which will be for those earning at 30% area median income, 20 at 50% AMI and four at 60%. Ferrie called it a 鈥淗ousing First model鈥� 鈥� a model, Ferrie said, that has been shown to reduce homelessness by 88%, improve housing stability by 41% and , according to 26 long-term studies across the U.S. and Canada.
Ferrie said 127 guests currently seeking help from Our Daily Bread would qualify for this project. It鈥檚 also one recommended by staff and supported by Our Daily Bread, the Denton County Veteran Service Office, Serve Denton, Giving Grace and the Denton County Homeless Coalition.
鈥淭his project is more than just a proposal,鈥� Ferrie said. 鈥淚t is rooted in research and real world impact. ... Housing is a basic human right, and our community has already shown its commitment to affordable housing by approving a $15 million affordable housing bond. This project meets the criteria per the affordable housing toolkit and the affordable housing bond criteria created by the city of Denton.鈥�
Council members Jill Jester, Joe Holland and Mayor Gerard Hudspeth voted against the resolution of support for the 9% housing tax credit for McAdams Haven.
Hudspeth and Holland voted against all three affordable housing projects seeking resolutions of support for tax credits.
Hudspeth said he didn鈥檛 like the quick two-week turnaround time for those who may be impacted by the McAdams Haven project, such as neighbors, one of whom attended the council meeting and said he just found out about the project and opposed it.
But DAHC did hold a public meeting about the project on Feb. 12 at Serve Denton, according to staff.
Carrie Baugus, the deputy executive director of DAHC, told Hudspeth that they only had three weeks to request and submit the resolution of support once they were notified by the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs that they had ranked to receive the 9% federal housing tax credit.
City staff indicated that DAHC is tentatively ranked third in the region by TDHCA.
While Jester said she was in favor of the project, she couldn鈥檛 dismiss the safety concerns shared by Courtney Banatoski, the CEO and president of Cumberland Youth and Family Services, during the council meeting.
鈥淗owever, I just feel like Cumberland children鈥檚 home was there, and if we鈥檙e talking about it鈥檚 when, not if, an incident happens, I just don鈥檛 feel like I can put that population at risk,鈥� Jester said.
Cumberland Youth and Family Services 鈥� formerly known as Cumberland Presbyterian Children鈥檚 Home 鈥� acts as an emergency shelter for youths in need in Denton County and also houses them. Banatoski said the nonprofit is a first stop in the child welfare system and also has a treatment center. Cumberland鈥檚 clients include youths who are transitioning out of an inpatient psychiatric ward in need of more therapeutic support.
The proposed McAdams Haven site shares a property line with Cumberland.
During last week鈥檚 meeting, Banatoski identified several concerns that DAHC had worked with Cumberland officials to resolve, including strengthening an exclusion on sex offenders to include all sex offenders and not just lifetime offenders.
Other concerns included limiting access to prevent loitering and increasing security. She also mentioned that Cumberland was in need of a fence but didn鈥檛 have the estimated $200,000 needed to install one.
Council member Brian Beck said he would work with Cumberland to help get the funds needed to do so.
But Banatoski also said the two-week turnaround wasn鈥檛 sufficient time to understand all of the challenges they may face with having two vulnerable populations next door to each other.
Baugus identified the changes DAHC officials have made based on Cumberland鈥檚 concerns, such as changing the plans to have one point of entry on Lindsey Street and an exit only on Bernard Street. They also plan to implement key fob and badge entry for every access to the building and courtyard as well as additional security, from one 24/7 position to two 24/7 positions. They are willing to continue discussions with Cumberland to address security concerns.
Banatoski wasn鈥檛 sure if two would be enough since she told council that she wasn鈥檛 familiar with security protocols for affordable supportive housing. She mentioned that the Denton Community Shelter has seven security guards for the guests who seek shelter there.
Baugus explained that other supportive housing programs around the state in places such as Austin and Houston have only one around-the-clock security position for complexes that have up to 200 units. She added that applicants to McAdams Haven would be screened before being approved and allowed to move in, and she stressed that she works closely with service providers to make sure they are accepting people who can be successful in housing.
鈥淢y residents, they are not dangerous,鈥� Baugus said. 鈥淚 have these people in my housing now, in 96 units scattered across Denton. 鈥� We鈥檙e not just throwing random people into housing or grabbing them out of Our Daily Bread. Our Daily Bread needs a safety team like that because they have larger numbers, and it is a shelter. This is permanent housing.
鈥淲henever you give people permanent housing, it gives them the ability to address other barriers in their life and stabilize. It鈥檚 just not the same thing.鈥�