BREATHITT COUNTY, Ky. (LEX 18) — Governor Andy Beshear and local leaders announced new housing Friday in Breathitt County.
Just weeks after flooding, the governor is sending this message: "We've been working together to build back what's lost but also to create opportunities."
Beshear is highlighting one of those opportunities in Jackson as local leaders plan to build seventeen homes in a new high ground community off highway thirty.
An old medical building that's been vacant for a while is the second big announcement from Beshear. It will be converted into eighteen apartments known as River North Apartments.
"Often times with disaster funds, we know we can build single family housing, but the rentals are often times the challenge," Beshear said.
Beshear announced an award of $6 million to Jackson to address that challenge and Frontier Housing is the administrator.
"Converting this building from something that's not contributing to the community to becoming a community asset again is huge for any community," Tom Manning-Beavin said.
Manning-Beavin is Frontier's CEO working with Fahe, a crucial resource, as well. In this community, hit hard by three floods in five years, Fahe Director of Disaster Resilience Jacob Wolfe is working closely with flood survivors.
"They'll be connected with a case manager from our disaster resilience team from Fahe. It gives them an opportunity to assess what their housing needs are," Wolfe said.
That's through housingcantwait.org.
"Housing Can't Wait through Fahe is an important resource. Fahe brings all these builders together," Beshear added.
It's bringing affordable housing to Breathitt County. Currently in the engineering phase, construction on the new high ground community off highway 30 is expected to start late in the summer.
