Osceola County Commissioner Cheryl Grieb presented a $500,000 check to Rev. Mary Lee Downey of Hope Partnership on Tuesday, that will be used to assist in the conversion of a local existing hotel into affordable apartments for low-income residents.
Grieb pledged the $500,000 from federal targeted recovery effort dollars, part of the County’s planned use of American Rescue Plan funds to assist in developing affordable, safe, decent and attainable places to live.
“This conversion will help our residents with affordable, safe, decent, and attainable places to live,” Commissioner Grieb said at the news conference. “We know we have a lot of people who live in hotels, but they’e not always safe, decent, and affordable. We need all three of those items in order to have a safe place to live.”
The $500,000 pledged by the commissioner will be added to the state’s contribution of $500,000 and the $1 million in federal funds already committed to the project.
According to Chief Executive Officer with Hope Partnership Mary Lee Downey, the affordable hotel conversion will create at least 30-units for very low, low and moderate income Osceola County residents and will be designated for families at or below 60% of the Area Median Income (AMI).
“We are incredibly grateful for Commissioner Grieb and this gift that is going to let us do what we do to make sure everyone in the community is safe, healthy, and happy,” Downey said.
Hope Partnership has not announced where the development will be as they wait on approval from HUD, but has said it will be centrally located on U.S. 192 and have easy access to nearby medical facilities and a grocery store.
