Developers: Sherman Associates and Minneapolis Public Housing Authority

Architect: ESG Architects

Major Funders: Department of Housing and Urban Development; Minneapolis Public Housing Authority; Hennepin County; Local Initiatives Support Corp.; U.S. Bank; Metropolitan Council

The Heritage Park Seniors Campus is the nation's first public housing community that offers enhanced assisted-living and comprehensive memory-care housing with services.

Developed by the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority (MPHA) and Sherman Associates, the campus features the 48-unit Thomas T. Feeney Manor, where half of the units are for residents in need of assisted living and half for those dealing with memory loss.

“There's not a group more vulnerable except for children,” says Cora McCorvey, MPHA executive director and CEO.

The new campus also has a 69,603- square-foot services center that serves more than 400 elderly public housing residents as well as other low-income seniors in north Minneapolis. It features a clinic, a therapy pool, and adult daycare.

To create the $27.8 million campus, the development team financed the buildings separately, with each receiving different funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

The $11.1 million housing development received a $9.7 million ARRA green community grant. The assisted-living facility features geothermal wells and solar panels.

The $16.7 million services center received a $10.4 million ARRA grant to benefit the elderly. New Markets Tax Credits from the Local Initiatives Support Corp. and U.S. Bank provided another $4.3 million.

MPHA has partnered with several organizations to bring services to the seniors.