BOND, CLEAVER, LOCAL LEADERS BREAK GROUND FOR NEXT PHASE OF PALESTINE SENIOR HOUSING COMPLEX

Senator: Project a Long Time Coming, Well Worth the Wait

KANSAS CITY, MO – May 17, 2010 – (RealEstateRama) — U.S. Senator Kit Bond today joined U.S. Representative Emanuel Cleaver, members of the Palestine Economic Development Corporation, members of the Kansas City City Council, and other community leaders to break ground for the next phase of the Palestine Commons Senior Housing Complex.

“This building has been a long time coming, but it will be well worth the wait,” Bond said. “Residents of the Palestine Commons will not only have a beautiful new apartment to live in, but they can also take advantage of the many services such as home health care, personal care assistance, shopping help and even laundry service.”

The new development, Palestine Commons Enhanced Living Senior Housing, will be located in the 3400 block of Prospect Avenue and will be the only affordable enhanced living housing development in the central city that offers seniors the services needed to remain living independently.  The development will house 69 one and two bedroom units and offer meal service, housekeeping, medication reminders and many additional options.

Bond, the ranking member on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee that funds our nation’s housing programs, secured $1 million for the project in the 2003 Omnibus Appropriations bill. As baby boomers continue to age and as life expectancy in the U.S. continues to grow, the Senator pointed out that affordable housing like that provided at Palestine Commons is becoming increasingly important in Kansas City, throughout Missouri, and across the nation.

In his remarks, Bond also paid tribute to Reverend Earl Abel, who for 50 years advocated the redevelopment of Kansas City’s urban core through his church and its many ministries. Abel who founded and served as pastor of the Palestine Missionary Baptist Church passed away in 2005, but Bond stressed that Abel’s efforts and leadership provided the foundation for many social and economic advances in Kansas City, including the groundbreaking that took place today.

“We are so grateful to Senator Bond who helped make affordable assisted living possible for our community,” said Melvin Gross, Chair of the Palestine Economic Development Corporation (PEDC).  “He believed in PEDC and in Pastor Abel’s vision from the beginning and he is a true friend to the community. His legacy will always be a part of the Palestine Community.”

Bond, a long time leader in the effort to provide affordable housing and end homelessness, has long worked to increase funding for programs that work to meet the needs of our communities’ most vulnerable people, like those living in the Palestine Community. Just last year, Senators Bond and Jack Reed (D-RI) were able to get the Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing (HEARTH) Act, signed into law. The bill builds upon programs, like permanent supportive housing, and provides $2.2 billion for targeted homelessness assistance grant programs; increases current levels of funding for homelessness assistance grants; expanded the definition for homelessness to allow families on the verge of becoming homeless to qualify for assistance; and reauthorizes federal homelessness aid programs for the first time since 1989.  Bond also led the effort to include a provision in the National Affordable Housing Act of 1990 that created a new program – HOPE VI – that has been very successful in developing mixed-income housing and transforming many distressed communities into revitalized neighborhoods.