Northwest Neighborhoods announces Karam Senior Living’s ARPA Gap Funding Award
Aug. 31, 2023
Northwest Neighborhoods CDC (NWN) celebrates the City of Cleveland’s commitment of $2,000,000 in ARPA Gap Funds to Karam Senior Living, the development of affordable senior housing and a new branch of the Cleveland Public Library (CPL) at West 80th Street and Detroit Avenue. The award provides a path forward for this transformational, $22 million project, the construction of which was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Karam Senior Living will provide 51 residential units to seniors who earn 60% or less of the area median income (AMI). The new, energy-efficient, accessible building will hold spaces for social connection and wrap-around programming with a new Walz library branch, developed in partnership with CPL on the building’s ground floor. The project’s prime location, adjacent to the existing St. Augustine Health Campus, will be a driver of community integration and reimagines the northeast corner of West 80th and Detroit to more equitably serve neighborhood residents.
“We are deeply grateful for the City’s award of two million, and we are working diligently to fill the project’s remaining budget gap,” said Bridget Kent Márquez, NWN Interim Executive Director. “Our community’s support and patience have been essential for the full vision of Karam Senior Living and the Walz library. We thank Cleveland Public Library for their steady commitment, Councilmember Jenny Spencer for her continued advocacy, and Cuyahoga County and Enterprise Community Partners for their ongoing partnership on this project."
“Cleveland Public Library is committed to a new, five-star library in a joint facility with Karam Senior Living, to meet a wide range of community needs and serve as a neighborhood anchor,” said Cleveland Public Library Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer Felton Thomas, Jr. “This investment in our Walz branch is part of our 10-year plan to reimagine all 27 of our branch libraries through renovation, expansion, and new library construction for stronger neighborhoods, and to fulfill our commitment to all Clevelanders.”
As the culmination of years of community efforts, Karam Senior Living will address an urgent need for quality, affordable housing for vulnerable seniors while simultaneously creating a multigenerational hub for community services. NWN and its partners have worked to address the sharp increases in construction costs since the COVID-19 pandemic began, and NWN secured Low-Income Housing Tax Credits for the project from the Ohio Housing Finance Agency in 2021. Following City Council’s approval in 2022 of American Rescue Plan (ARPA) funds, NWN and its partners responded to the City’s request for housing gap financing proposals. NWN will establish a new construction timeline after completing the project's fundraising.
The development site today on the northeast corner of West 80th Street & Detroit Avenue, viewed from the south
NWN’s development work for Karam Senior Living is fulfilling one of its core goals: to maintain, provide, and increase housing affordability for residents with low incomes. In its forthcoming, five-year, organizational strategic plan, NWN’s board and staff have committed to a vision of “A place where anyone can thrive.” The Karam and Walz facility will manifest that vision by creating shared spaces for young scholars, older residents, and all community members to grow in their economic mobility together.
About Northwest Neighborhoods CDC
Northwest Neighborhoods CDC provides comprehensive community development services to more than 28,000 residents in Cleveland’s Cudell, Detroit Shoreway, and Edgewater communities to equitably foster diverse, vibrant neighborhoods. NWN owns and maintains 15 buildings containing 300+ affordable apartments, 50,000+ square feet of commercial space, and the Capitol Theatre cinema, and provides home repair assistance and other supportive services to residents and stakeholders. Northwest Neighborhoods’ service area is bounded by Lake Erie to the north, West 45th Street to the east, Interstate 90 to the south, and West 117th Street to the west.
About Cleveland Public Library: Our Future is Building
In 2017, Cleveland residents passed a tax levy set to renew and increase support for Cleveland Public Library, setting into motion a project to dramatically transform the city’s libraries. Over the next decade, Cleveland Public Library will renovate, expand, relocate, or rebuild all 27 neighborhood libraries. The project, known as the Facilities Master Plan, honors and preserves the past while preparing to better handle the future needs of our community. The revitalization project marks the third major, system-wide capital project in our 151-year history.