It shouldn't be long before officials find out when construction will begin on a proposed 30-unit residential housing facility in downtown Scranton, Monsignor Joseph Kelly said.
It could even be as close as March 6, Monsignor Kelly, executive director of Catholic Social Services of the Diocese of Scranton said. He said paperwork for the project should be complete by then.
"By next week we should know," Monsignor Kelly said.
The facility, planned for Penn Avenue and Vine Street, would be a transitional housing facility for homeless veterans who are recommended through the Department of Veteran Affairs.
Holly Glauser, director of development with the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency, said $559,000 in low-income tax credits were allocated last spring to help finance the $6.4 million project. An investor paid $5.8 million up front to claim the credit over 10 years.
"We were really pleased to do it," she said. "It's a worthy mission."
The remainder of the cost is covered by a loan from St. Francis of Assisi Soup Kitchen.
The building would have three floors, with the top two containing 15 rooms, each equipped with bathrooms, refrigerators and microwaves. Those floors would also have a common space that would be staffed 24/7.
The first floor will contain a free clothing store and a client-choice food pantry, the only one of its kind in Northeast Pennsylvania, he said.
"It's where people are able to go in and shop like a grocery store," Monsignor Kelly said.
Once a "shovel goes into the ground," the project is expected to take one year to complete, he said.
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