20-02-2025
Lowell nonprofit plans $3.3M affordable housing project
LOWELL, Mich. (WOOD) — A Lowell nonprofit plans to open affordable housing for up to 40 people by next summer.
The $3.3 million project is funded by donations to Flat River Outreach Ministries' 'Building Foundations, Building Hope' capital campaign. In total, $2.6 million has already been raised.
Construction is expected to begin this summer on three new apartment complexes next to FROM's property on Main Street near S Jefferson Street in Lowell. In the 17 apartments, there will be options for single people and up to four-person families. There will also be green space with a place for gardening and parking.
The buildings are set to open in summer 2026, FROM said.
The nonprofit's Executive Director Wendie Preiss said the goal of the project is to help ease a housing crisis in Lowell.
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'The recent growth in our region has been tremendous, but has created an imbalance between supply and demand, leaving many neighbors in our community underhoused. The project is particularly impactful as it will meet immediate needs today while also impacting generations to come,' Preiss wrote in a release.
The new housing aims to house people with incomes up to 80% of area medium income, FROM said
'Rent will be affordable while still allowing the buildings to be financially sustainable long term,' the release read.
The nonprofit's client services program, which helps people navigating financial challenges, said it has seen an increase in calls and a growing number of people experiencing homelessness, even while employed.
'Homelessness often looks different here in Lowell,' Preiss wrote. 'It's couch surfing, staying with friends or loved ones – or even living in tents in the woods. Families may have to split up or become transient. All of this affects the whole family, destroys hope and has a crippling impact on the fabric of the community.'
FROM is working with ICCF Community Homes as construction representative and Eastbrook Homes as general contractor.
For more information, visit . To donate, contact FROM Development Director Arianne Hall at 616.897.8260 ext. 135 or .
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