GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — A White House senior advisor joined local officials Thursday to check out a federally-funded affordable housing project in Green Bay.
Tom Perez, senior advisor to President Joe Biden and Director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, toured the City East Center alongside Mayor Eric Genrich and United Way of Brown County CEO Robyn Davis.
Construction is nearing completion at the three-story, 5,000-square-foot City East Center, which is being built on previously vacant city-owned land. It’s located on the corner of Walnut and Roosevelt Streets, two blocks away from Green Bay East High School.
It will include 43 apartments, 36 of which will be set aside for households making less than 60% of the area’s median income. Officials say the units will “adhere to green and universal design standards that can make buildings both more sustainable and accessible to all people, regardless of ability.”
The $10 million project is funded in part through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).
“None of this would’ve been possible without the support of the federal government, ARPA coming through for cities. Green Bay, specifically, $23.7 million. Really, a laundry list of items that we’ve been able to check off thanks to the funding that’s been provided by the Biden administration,” Genrich said.
Perez said the City East Center is one example of helping tackle a need that’s impacting communities nationwide.
The issue that we hear most frequently about in our travels across the country is affordable housing, the crisis of affordable housing. And you heard from the President in his most recent State of the Union. What did he say? We have to build, build, build. This is exactly what he had in mind. We were proud, and continue to be proud, to be a partner in that. Those investments of federal dollars can be and are catalytic for communities across the country because they help you leverage more dollars.
The building’s first floor will be occupied by United Way of Brown County and serve primarily as a community gathering area. A $1 million federal grant made that space possible.
Construction is expected to be complete in July. Applications for tenants are currently being accepted.
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