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Credit: Provided by the city of Detroit
The former St. Matthew School on Detroit’s east side has been transformed into affordable housing.
Some 46 units of affordable housing are open at The Residences at St. Matthew, which was developed in a longtime vacant former Catholic school on Detroit’s east side.
The city of Detroit, Catholic Charities of Southeast Michigan and nonprofit real estate developer Cinnaire Solutions celebrated the development Wednesday afternoon, following a $20.49 million renovation of the St. Matthew School building at 6000 Audubon Road.
The housing will be split between 21 units for low-income residents and 25 permanent supportive housing units for people who were formerly homeless. Of the units, 36 are one-bedroom, four are two-bedroom and six are studio units.
For Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, the project is personal: He was baptized at the church as an infant in 1958.
“St. Matthews is one of several former Catholic school buildings in Detroit that are seeing new life as affordable housing and the permanent supportive housing at the Residences at St. Matthews is a great example of the church continuing to deliver on its mission of caring for those most in need,” Duggan said in a news release. “I am so grateful to the Archdiocese of Detroit, Catholic Charities of Southeast Michigan and all of the partners who have made this great project possible.”
The Residences at St. Matthew is part of a push for new affordable housing in Detroit. Other recent projects include recently opened developments in Brush Park, Midtown and the Corktown area, as well as upcoming complexes on the east side and the Russell Woods/Nardin Park neighborhood.
Credit: Provided by the city of Detroit
One of the apartments in the newly opened The Residences at St. Matthew affordable housing development on Detroit’s east side.
Construction began on the St. Matthew project in November 2023, according to the CCSEM website. CCSEM was the lead sponsor of the project, in collaboration with Cinnaire Solutions, Ascension Michigan, Ethos Development partners and local leaders. KMG Prestige is the property manager, according to CCSEM.
Funding came from a variety of sources, including $9.8 million in Low-Income Housing Tax Credits as well as funds from a Federal Home Loan Bank of Indianapolis Affordable Housing Program grant, historic tax credits and city of Detroit HOME funds, according to CCSEM and the release.
“This redevelopment represents the heart of Catholic Charities’ mission — to create hope, foster dignity, and build community,” CCSEM CEO Paul Propson said in the release. “We are proud to honor the legacy of St. Matthew’s Parish by helping meet a critical need for affordable housing in Detroit.”
The affordable units within the complex are reserved for households making at most 30%, 50% and 60% of the area’s median income, which is $70,700 for one person in Wayne County. The CCSEM site lists rents starting at $781 a month for a one-bedroom apartment and $924 for a two-bedroom unit. In the permanent supportive housing units, furnished through a partnership with the Capuchin Soup Kitchen, rent will be capped at no more than 30% of the resident’s income.
The Michigan State Housing Development Authority and the city are providing rental subsidies for 25 and seven of the units, respectively. Residents of the permanent supportive housing units will also receive health care through Catholic Charities USA’s Healthy Housing Initiative in partnership with Henry Ford St. John Hospital, according to the release.
As of Thursday, half of the apartments had been rented, according to Isabella Agby, director of marketing and communications at CCSEM.
“This project is a shining example of what can happen when a community comes together with compassion, vision, and commitment,” Cinnaire Solutions President Christopher Laurent said in the release. “The Residences at St. Matthew not only preserves an important piece of Detroit’s history but also creates hope and opportunity for Detroiters who need it most.”
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