Riverview's future is within sight!
Walker Construction is fast building the HOPE VI homes at Sherwood Road and Hiwassee Street in Kingsport, and quite frankly, they are very impressive. These homes are the exact same homes that will be built in Riverview beginning next year, on the site of the Historic Riverview Apartments, which were torn down in February.
PICTURES OF SHERWOOD-HIWASSEE ARE IN THE PHOTO GALLERY, INTERIORS AND EXTERIORS
Laying the foundations began in May.
The foundations are complete for most of the houses, and the homes are in various stages of construction, some of them to the point where insulation, flooring, plumbing and electrical work are the next items on the installation list.
The construction company expects to have five houses finished by the first of September, and 4 to 5 houses completed each month thereafter. The goal is to have all 24 homes completed by the end of this year or early next year. The time frame is weather-permitting, but by the looks of things, the homes could be completed ahead of schedule.
The homes have familiar names, which represent many families in Riverview. The names are The Blye (also known as the Bly) House.. the Cunningham House.. the Dobbins House.. the Douglas House.. and the Pierce House. Each home represents a different layout, floor plan, and number of bedrooms.
For folks from the Riverview Apartments to be able to move into the new homes, residents have to complete:
1. Complete a re-occupancy application.
2. All household members that are 18 years or older, have to be fully employed, a full-time student or a combination of part-time employed or student.
3. The head of the household has to take part in the Community Supportive Services program (CSS). This program consists of informational sessions that educated the prospective occupant on home ownership-rental responsibilities, along with a case manager, that helps the person develop goals to move towards self-sufficiency.
"We have been disappointed in the number of residents who decided to take part in the CSS program," says Doris Ladd, HOPE VI coordinator. "We've tried on many different occasions, at many different sessions at the Central Baptist Church, to encourage former residents to take advantage of the opportunity and resources available, to help them own a home. It's not as difficult as you might think, especially when there are programs out there that help them within things like improving credit, maintaining a home, and keeping payments steady. Again, it's not as difficult as you might think."
Although most Riverview apartments residents don't seem to be interested in either taking part in, or moving into the new HOPE VI homes, apparently their friends and neighbors in other public housing units, and even surrounding cities are VERY interested in the program.
"We have gotten questions from other public apartment complex in Kingsport," says Mrs. Ladd, in response to the question of whether a HOPE VI project is planned for the Robert E. Lee Apartments or the Frank Cloud Apartments. "Currently, we have told them there are specific plans to tear those apartments down, and replace them with homes."
There has been discussion of a HOPE VI program at public housing in both Johnson City and Bristol, though. "Those cities would have to make their own applications to the Department of Housing and Urban Development for the HOPE VI grant, as Kingsport did," says Mrs. Ladd, "and then they would have to win the grant, as Kingsport did."
In Kingsport, HOPE VI consists of four phases..
1. Renovating the Washington School into 54 apartments for seniors (completed in November last year,), PICTURE OF FINISHED APARTMENTS AT RIGHT.
2. Home Ownership Units (the 24 homes being built at Sherwood-Hiwassee (completion date early next year). PICTURE OF HOMES UNDER CONSTRUCTION AT RIGHT.
3. Rental Units (the 22 homes and 8 duplexes to be built at Riverview (completion date early 2010). PICTURE OF CLEARED LOT IN RIVERVIEW AT RIGHT.
4. The Riverview Community Center on Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd (completion date 2010). PICTURE OF BUILDINGS TO BE DEMOLISHED ALONG MLK AT RIGHT.
Other activities taking place in Riverview right now, are the construction of 2 of the 4 homes being built by Youth Build, and the renovation of the V.O. Dobbins Community Center/old Douglass High School.
"We are right now ahead of the 5-year plan for the HOPE VI project," says Mrs. Ladd. "There are certain goals that the federal government requires of us, and certain paperwork that we have to submit within a certain timeframe, and if everything continues on schedule, we will finish ahead of the 5 year schedule."
