Page 9 - Samaritas Our Hands Spring/Summer2024

HOUSING

Spring Lake Affordable Living Groundbreaking!

Construction on the new Samaritas Affordable Living community in Spring Lake began earlier this year. The $16.4M project on East Savidge Street will feature
53 beautiful new apartments for people of all ages.

Nearly 50 people attended the groundbreaking ceremony at Spring Lake Presbyterian Church on East Savidge Street. The event featured remarks by Pastor
Dan Anderson of Spring Lake Presbyterian who provided the benediction, Dave, Mark Powers, Spring Lake Village President, Chad Benson, MSHDA
Rental Director), and Brittney Drake of the Little River Band Native American organization.

Samaritas Wins Grants for Grand Rapids
and Mt. Pleasant Housing Renovations

Samaritas and Mercantile Bank have joined forces for the Samaritas-
Mercantile Affordable Housing Program (AHP), securing a $600,000
grant from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Indianapolis (FHLBank
Indianapolis). This is the third collaboration among the three
organizations.

An additional boost of financial support came from Isabella Bank. A
FHLBank Indianapolis member. In addition to a $600,000 grant and
bridge financing for the construction phase, Isabella Bank submitted
the Samaritas grant application for consideration and donated $10,000
to help improve its score for the grant selection process.

The grant will support a $775,000 renovation of Samaritas' Affordable Living property; upgrades include modernizing
kitchens, bathrooms, flooring, and common areas and expanding outdoor gathering spaces. Pinnacle Construction
will oversee the renovations this summer, with additional bridge lending support from Mercantile Bank.

New Garden Beds for Montague
Affordable Communities

Two of Samaritas’ affordable housing communities in West Michigan are being
spruced up, thanks partly to funding made possible by Enterprise Community
Partners, The Edward N. & Della L. Thome Memorial Foundation, and Bank of
America.
Samaritas community managers are building raised garden beds in partnership with
the local Future Farmers of America and National Honor Society chapters from
local high schools.
This initiative is important in promoting community engagement and providing an
opportunity for us to work together to create opportunities for well-being and
mindfulness for our residents and partners. Gardening has been shown to have
numerous physical and mental health benefits, including reducing stress, improving
mood, and promoting physical activity. The involvement of local youth organizations
in this project help foster a sense of community and provide opportunities for young
people to learn about gardening, healthy eating, and sustainable living, and how they
can make a difference in the lives of their neighbors at Samaritas. 9