Sheppard Square Announces 60 New Homes Now Available for Community with 250 More to Follow

Congressman John Yarmuth (KY-D-3) and Mayor Greg Fischer mingle with residents and stakeholders.

HUD Kentucky Acting Field Office Director Robert D. Kuhnle is pictured with LMHA Board Chairman Manfred Reid, Mayor Greg Fischer, and HUD Kentucky Public Housing Director Michael Browder at the Sheppard Square Grand Opening.

Everyone was cheerfully soaking in the sun and mingling at the highly anticipated grand opening of the new Sheppard Square. Many were commenting about the beautiful apartment that attendees could tour that included an open floor plan, master suite, and two full bathrooms.

This HOPE VI project is being touted as Louisville's greenest development, which will not only provide residents with affordable housing, but also affordable utilities. A total of 267 former Sheppard Square households were relocated to make way for the new revitalized neighborhood that will now include 310 on-site rental units and 144 off-site units. Residents began moving in the apartments on February 20, 2014. Many former residents have begun moving back to the new development and were clearly excited at the grand opening.

HUD's $22 million investment through the HOPE VI grant was leveraged with over $74.5 million in additional public and private funds. This has made the transformation of the 1942 constructed public housing site remarkable.

"What has been achieved in Louisville is a real success story under the HOPE VI program. HUD's funding will transform and improve outcomes for Sheppard Square public housing tenants and the community. There is a sea of need that persists and with HUD's innovative and transformative programs such as Choice Neighborhoods, Promise Zones, and the Rental Assistance Demonstration we are addressing that and transitioning toward investing in strategies to address interconnected challenges - housing decay, crime, lack of educational prospects and economic connections - all of which will help families going forward," said Michael Browder, HUD Kentucky Public Housing Director on behalf of Regional Administrator Ed Jennings, Jr.

The video More Than Bricks and Mortar: The Sheppard Square Story Documentary directed and produced by Lavel D. White is available on YouTube as follows:
Part 1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdknL4F7mQc),
Part 2 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmxnix4bB1k),
Part 3 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QIp5VnrW9A),
and Part 4 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGUAr31Oipc).

Currently Louisville Metro Housing Authority's management agent CT Associates has over 1,200 pre-applications for the site. Anyone interested in applying may call (502) 561-0078.

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