PARIS, Texas, April 30, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The New Hope Center of Paris celebrated the opening of a new transitional housing facility and emergency shelter in Paris, Texas, during a ribbon cutting and open house yesterday.
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The facility will hold up to 52 people in a portion of the building dedicated to long-term transitional housing. Another 15 people can be housed in the emergency shelter. The transitional housing serves women and their children, single dads, veterans, and young adults. Residents may remain in the transitional housing facility for up to two years, during which time they will receive assistance with employment, education, training, counseling, and other support services. Residents may remain at the emergency shelter for up to three days.
The project received a $306,402 Affordable Housing Program (AHP) grant from Liberty National Bank in Paris and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas (FHLB Dallas) to help facilitate New Hope Center of Paris' relocation to the new facility.
In addition to the space for transitional housing and the emergency shelter, the facility also contains a kitchen, laundry room, chapel, computer lab, a living area for families, and a living area for singles. The facility also contains commercial space that is leased out to businesses.
"We needed a home and also a way to generate income," said Gay Ballew, executive director of the New Hope Center of Paris. New Hope Center of Paris is a faith-based organization that provides low-income housing, food, and other support services to women and children recovering from homelessness. With the new shelter, New Hope Center of Paris is now expanding its services to single fathers with children and young adults, as well as veterans, and families, Ms. Ballew says.
The transitional housing facility currently has 10 residents, Ms. Ballew said. Residents are required to commit to a specialized program to help get them on their feet.
The AHP grant was critical to the facility opening its doors.
"The building we purchased was sitting for 12 years, and we spent close to $400,000 in renovations," Ms. Ballew said. "If we had not had those funds we could not have gotten the building."
Officials from FHLB Dallas and Liberty National Bank in Paris attended the ribbon cutting yesterday.
"Liberty National Bank is committed to serving our community," said Liberty National Bank President Carl Cecil. "Starting over is difficult, and this new transitional housing facility gives single mothers, single fathers, families, and veterans the support and services they need to transition to a stable home. We're proud to have played a role in the completion of this project."
AHP grants are used to purchase, construct, and/or rehabilitate owner-occupied, rental, and homeless or transitional housing projects for very low-to-moderate income families. FHLB Dallas awarded $11.3 million in AHP grants through member institutions in 2013 to support the creation or renovation of 1,654 housing units.
The New Hope Center of Paris project also received $20,000 in grants through FHLB Dallas' Partnership Grant Program (PGP) in 2013. FHLB Dallas provided a 3:1 match of funds from Liberty National Bank and another community bank, First Federal Community Bank, to fund kitchen and laundry appliances for the housing facility. PGP funds provide funding for the operational needs of community-based organizations involved in affordable housing and community development.
"The AHP was created in 1990 to support our member institutions in financing affordable housing opportunities in their communities, and nearly 25 years later, FHLB Dallas has not wavered in our commitment," said FHLB Dallas Senior Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer Bre Chapman. "We are pleased to partner with Liberty National Bank in assisting New Hope Center of Paris with this project."
About the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas
The Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas is one of 12 district banks in the FHLBank System created by Congress in 1932. FHLB Dallas, with total assets of $30.6 billion as of March 31, 2014, is a member-owned cooperative that supports housing and community development by providing competitively priced loans and other credit products to approximately 900 members and associated institutions in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, and Texas. For more information, visit the FHLB Dallas website at fhlb.com.
The photo is also available via AP PhotoExpress.
