Council ready to move on housing

By Shelley Smith

ssmith@salisburypost.com

Three people pushing for Liberty Square, a transitional housing community for homeless veterans, plead to the Salisbury City Council for a $150,000 grant as part of the community’s 35 percent contribution toward the construction and opening of Liberty Square. The remaining 65 percent will come from the VA Fund.

Although the council did not take any official action on the grant request from Liberty Square, all council members agreed to grant the request.

The Salisbury City Council approved a rezoning request for Liberty Square, along with building and site plans during a June 1 council meeting.

“We are absolutely dedicated to this project and to the city of Salisbury to make sure we partner with folks in this room and a broad array of folks in the county to make sure we are going to provide the best support possible to veterans who would otherwise be homeless,” said Scott Little, a representative with RHA Health Services out of High Point.

“We are prepared both as a builder and as a service provider to make this a reality.”

Scott Redinger, a housing consultant with RHA, described the type of housing to the council, noting that the entire community was handicapped accessible, and each of the 24 units will house one veteran, complete with a bedroom, kitchen area, microwave, bathroom and table.

Liberty Square, Redinger said, will not only be a safe place for homeless veterans to come to, but will be a place for them to get the help they need in order to get back out on their own again.

Homeless veterans will be able to have a sense of community in the center, doing activities and cooking meals with other veterans, and will be helped one-on-one through crisis management, basic case management, financial help, further education and job training.

“In 2009,800 homeless veterans were seen at the Salisbury VA hospital,” he said. “That is a tremendous number.

“... We can absolutely say there is a need. We appreciate your interest in this project.”

“This is a team approach to end homelessness,” Hattie Johnson said, who is the home coordinator for the VA Hefner Homes Program.

The council asked City Manager David Treme if the $150,000 grant was feasible, and he said he supported it, as it was part of the city’s goals in the Consolidated Strategic Plan for Housing and Neighborhood Revitalization.

“I’ve always been excited about Liberty Square,” he said. “I feel like the council, by participating and looking at this loan money and grant money, would begin to seriously address the issues that were laid out in our plan.”

Treme said the following three projects on the city’s agenda for this year have all addressed three main needs of Salisbury:

• Villas at Hope Crest, senior/elderly housing, 55 units, $150,000 loan from city

• Westridge Village, family apartments, 48 units, $150,000 loan from city

• Liberty Square, transitional housing for veterans, 24 units, $150,000 grant from city

Treme said that since the $150,000 was not needed for three more years, the city could reserve $50,000 each budget year for Liberty Square.

“This is a good project and I feel it will address homeless issues we have in our city,” he said. “I feel like if all three projects were funded, we would be able to use these HOME funds to get a large outcome for the amount of dollars we’re putting in.

“These are HOME funds, and this is the purpose of them. In terms of dollars spent per units, this is excellent to me.”

“I do think it’s a wonderful project and it certainly is much needed,” Salisbury Mayor Susan Kluttz said.

Redinger said Liberty Square will be making a few changes, which will go before the planning board, and then to the council in October. The council will then officially grant the $150,000 request to Liberty Square.

Contact Shelley Smith at 704-797-4246.

In other business

• The council and attendees gave a standing ovation to the children behind Will Merrick’s “Keep the Ball Rolling” video for the Norvell Theater.

• Children participating in Salisbury’s Parks and Recreation summer camps sang “Let’s Help with Clean Air,” which was composed by Matt Newton of Salisbury. The song highlighted ways to help clean the air, such as taking a walk, riding a bike, or taking a hike. “Everything we do affects our air.”

• The council adopted an ordinance to demolish a neighborhood nuisance - a duplex - at 1120 Fries St.

• Treme said weekly limb pickup is working, and will continue until further notice.

• Assistant to the City Manager Doug Paris gave the council a legislative update, highlighting the different projects and bills affecting the city that city staff and officials have been involved with to protect the rights and needs of Salisbury residents.