Work at old hospital site to start in 2010

For those who have been wondering when something will be constructed on the old Corbin Hospital site, wonder no longer.

KCEOC Community Action Partnership announced Tuesday in a press release that it had been awarded $1.7 million to build and operate a 16 unit, Housing and Urban Development Section 202 housing project.
The units will be built on the Old Corbin Hospital site, as part of KCEOC’s efforts to provide safe, efficient housing to all segments of southeastern Kentucky.

KCEOC Vice President Miles Estes said this project is an example of how much KCEOC is committed to the elderly of the area.

“We are actually trying to do more for the elderly because when you look at the demographics, we are an aging nation, especially here in southeastern Kentucky,” Estes said. “We feel like this is a good start toward that commitment and it follows suit with some things we have already done.”

KCEOC currently operates one 202 development, Sowders Manor, in Barbourville, with another, Mixon Manor, scheduled to open in the Spring of 2009. Estes said the new project will take up only a fraction of the property, leaving plenty of room for future development.

“The facilities we already have in Barbourville are similar to what the one in Corbin will be,” Estes said. “The facility, which will sit on what used to be the parking lot of the old hospital, will not take up a whole lot of space.

“The size of this project is one the major reasons we are doing this,” he added. “It is only taking up about one-fifth of the property, which leaves plenty of space for future projects.”

The program responsible for the funding, HUD’s Section 202 Capital Advance Program, expands the supply of affordable housing with supportive services for the elderly. It provides very low-income persons 62-years and older with the opportunity to live independently in an environment that provides the services they need. In addition to funding the construction, acquisition, and rehabilitation of multifamily developments, HUD’s Section 202 program subsidizes the rents of senior citizens so they can limit their housing costs to only pay 30 percent of their incomes.

“These grants will help thousands of our nation’s very low-income elderly and persons with disabilities find decent housing that they can afford,” said HUD Secretary Steve Preston. “Neither group should ever have to worry about being able to find a safe place to live.”

For more information about the 202 projects, or any of KCEOC’s housing or other programs, please contact the agency at 606-546-3152, or visit the agency’s website at www.povertyisreal.org.