Major renovation of a former hospital and expansion of a do-it-yourself home renovation program were among successes highlighted at the Tri-State Housing Summit June 8 in Hannibal.

Summit organizer and NECAC Deputy Director Carla Potts noted that state funding to help convert the former St. Elizabeth Hospital into a senior living facility awaits the signature of Gov. Mike Parson.

The $15 million tax credit project involves renovating the former healthcare center into 60 apartments for seniors and building six single-family homes on donated lots. Partners are NECAC, NeighborWorks America, City of Hannibal and 3 Diamond Development of Lincolnwood, Ill. Additional funding sources may be sought.

“We are excited about this project,” Potts said. “It’s just another example of how partnerships can pay off with the construction of much-needed housing.”

NECAC plans to apply for funding with the Missouri Housing Development Commission. A timetable for construction has not been set.

Self-Help Housing

NECAC has been awarded an additional $365,700 over two years from USDA Rural Development for the Self-Help Housing Program, which provides participants with one-on-one instruction on renovating their homes.

Lindsay Cheek, USDA Rural Development Missouri State Single-Family Housing Program Director, made the announcement at the summit, saying that 48 homeowners would benefit.

“We thank you for your partnership,” Cheek told Potts and NECAC President and Chief Executive Officer Dan Page.

Self-Help Housing participant Kenneth Hemphill of Hannibal offered his take on the program. The 64-year-old Army veteran and retired healthcare employee replaced several doors and windows at his home.

“The program has done a great impact in my life, in my home, in my energy bill,” Hemphill said. “It has changed home and my life. Keep doing the good work you’re doing.”

The new funding will cover Lincoln, Marion, Monroe, Montgomery, Pike, Ralls, Shelby and Warren counties in Northeast Missouri. NECAC has been involved with Self-Help Housing since 1999. Under the original program, participants built each other’s homes. Forty-eight houses were constructed over about 10 years in Shelby, Monroe, Randolph and Montgomery counties.

In 2017, NECAC was awarded a $159,000 USDA grant to begin Self-Help renovations at 26 owner-occupied homes in Marion, Monroe, Pike and Ralls counties. Two years later, the agency was awarded a $365,700 USDA grant to expand the program to 56 homes in Lincoln, Montgomery, Shelby and Warren counties.

Other voices

Many summit speakers echoed Potts, who said “nothing is more fundamental than housing.”

Hannibal Mayor Pro Tem Mike Dobson highlighted the revitalization that the summit and other efforts have had in making communities better.

“You talk about revitalization, it’s contagious,” he said. “We can make a difference in our towns and neighborhoods.”

Page said housing impacts everyone.

“This isn’t a ‘poor people’s problem,’” he said. “Like every issue that affects all of us it may affect the poor more so than it does the rest of us, but this is an issue that affects anybody with a dream – and why is it even a dream? – of housing their families in a safe, affordable home.”

HUD Regional Administrator Deke Clayborn highlighted helpful programs his agency offers. While HUD doesn’t “have all the pieces of the puzzle” in place, it can “work together to get things done.”

“We need more housing in all its varieties,” Clayborn said. “What you’re doing is important.”

Chad Frederick, Community Development Director at the Two Rivers Regional Council of Public Officials in Quincy, outlined his agency’s Land Bank Authority work in Quincy and Jacksonville, Ill. It’s a tool for upgrading abandoned or vacated residential and commercial properties.

The Land Bank “tries to help start the process, hopefully, early – getting the ones that actually still have some value and getting them back to where there’s something that can be done with that property or on that property,” Frederick said.

Additional speakers were Wayne Crawford of Missouri Inclusive Housing and Chris Krehmeyer of Beyond Housing. More than 80 people attended the 17th annual event, which was held at the Rialto Banquet Hall in Hannibal.