A new residential complex in downtown Peoria for unhoused individuals between ages 18 and 24 is a step closer to opening its doors.
Phoenix Community Development Services hosted a topping-off ceremony Thursday for the four-story Madison III Apartments at 206 NE Madison Ave. The development will feature 16 units with tenant amenities, as well as an arts and activities studio.
“By providing a permanent supportive housing program for this group of young people, we will provide age- and developmentally appropriate services, and will provide a safe place for them to live and thrive in our community,” said Phoenix CEO Christine Kahl.
Kate Green is executive director of the Home for All Continuum of Care that's tasked with leading strategic direction in addressing homelessness in Peoria, Tazewell, Woodford and Fulton counties. She views the project as a significant step.
“What we have here is not only a housing opportunity, but also the support services to help them remain stably housed and meet their full potential for the long term in our community,” Green said.
Kahl noted the 18-24 age group represents Greater Peoria’s fastest growing demographic of unhoused individuals, many of whom have outgrown the child welfare system.
“We also know that there tends to be a higher concentration of LGBTQI persons among this population, further marginalizing them in our community and presenting unique challenges to accessing much needed and appropriate resources,” Kahl said.
Green said the four-county area has over 400 people unhoused on any given night.
“They're either unsheltered so in the streets, in tents, in encampments, abandoned buildings, or within our shelter system, and don't have access to those basic needs,” she said. “So as a system, we look to design the right interventions to help meet those needs, and certainly the project behind me is one of those interventions.”
Thursday’s ceremony invited stakeholders associated with the project to sign their names on one of the trusses before workers from Core Construction used a crane to raise the truss into place.
Phoenix received $5.9 million for the Madison III project from the Illinois Housing Development Authority (IDHA), through its Permanent Supportive Housing Development Program. The city of Peoria contributed $600,000 in HOME funds, an affordable housing grant through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Kahl said an additional $1.2 million subsidy will cover operational expenses for 15 years.
Construction is expected to be completed in the spring of 2024.
