On June 2, ground will be broken on Piquette Square, a 150-unit four-story mixed-use development in Milwaukee-Junction, east of Woodward and south of E. Grand Blvd. The $20 million development includes 6,000 square feet of common area -- space that will house supportive services such as job training -- and 5,000 square feet of ground floor commercial space.
"Piquette Square is an important piece of a major collaborative commitment to address the growing problem of homeless veterans in metropolitan Detroit," Tim Thorland, executive director of
Southwest Housing Solutions, which developed the project and will own and manage it, said in a statement.
There were 3,596 homeless veterans in the Detroit area in 2005, according to the city’s Ten-Year Plan To End Homelessness. Homeless advocates now estimate that number to be more than 4,000. One of every three homeless men in Detroit and nationally is a veteran.
Piquette Square is situated on the site of the historic Studebaker factory that was destroyed by fire in 2005. The project is being financed through a combination of tax credits, bond funding, MSHDA chronic homeless funds and various grants. The project is expected to be completed and operational in the spring of 2009.
Source: Steve Palackdharry, Southwest Solutions
Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh
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