LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The city continues to grapple with an affordable housing crisis; this development is providing hundreds of affordable units.
As Louisville city leaders continue to grapple with a drastic need in affordable housing, a public and private partnership in Okalona has built more than 500 affordable units.
Paige Mankovich is the Market President of CVS/Aetna Better Health of Kentucky. CVS/Aetna invested $2 Million in the construction Jefferson’s Landing where qualifying residents earn up to 70% of the area median income.
“It’s incredibly important to us to make these types of investments and being engaged in helping secure affordable and high-quality housing. Being with a health-centered organization, we know that a healthy community starts with a healthy home," said Mankovich.
Jefferson's Landing alone has 240 affordable units and includes one, two and three-bedroom units. The property is designed to "look and feel," like any other multifamily development.
“We go out of our way to make sure this is a place people are going to be proud to call home,” said Christi Lanier-Robinson of LDG Development.
Lanier-Robinson works for LDG Development, the other partner in the building’s development. A fact widley discussed by Louisville’s top officials, including Mayor Craig Greenberg, is Louisville has a dramatic shortage of affordable housing units, an purported 30,000. The below-market rate apartments at Jefferson Landing are highly sought after.
“It’s not uncommon to, when we first opened, to see people standing in line because we know in Louisville as is true across the country that there is a demand for high quality affordable housing,” Lanier-Robinson said.
Jefferson’s Landing is different than most affordable housing developments. There’s a pool, fitness center and community lounge but there’s also on-site health care services for families, educational programming and recreational leagues.
“Mobile health care clinics are definitely something that are brought on site so that the residents here again have easy access to to appropriate and quality health care,” Mankovich explained.
Of course, there’s a third partner in this development, the residents. Yolanda Crum lives at Jefferson’s Landing wither her two children.
“We just love it here... We just look forward to just coming home to a quiet, peaceful place,” Crum said. Of all the amenities offered, this mother of two appreciates how safe her family feels and also the ample space.
“First time us having two bedrooms in the house, so that was a plus for us. You can imagine two teenagers getting ready in the morning for school trying to get themselves together at the same time, so that was a plus for us,” she said. “We just really enjoy our apartment, our little apartment, our little home, home sweet home.”