Domestic violence survivors and other families have a new home in West Fargo, N.D.
YWCA Cass Clay and development partner Beyond Shelter have completed Grace Garden, a 30-unit permanent supportive housing residence.
“The structure is complete. The rebuilding of lives begins. Here, individuals and their families will be empowered to reach a state of stability and live free of fear,” said Erin Prochnow, CEO of YWCA Cass Clay.
The development was made possible by pastor Joel Baranko of the Lutheran Church of the Cross, who went to Prochnow to see how his congregation could assist her organization. She identified affordable housing as a crucial need.
“I approached the conversation assuming more emergency shelter space would be the answer to how the YWCA might utilize additional property if made available. I quickly learned the value of permanent supportive housing. It was easy for the congregation to get behind the vision because of the YWCA’s history, leadership, and reputation for success in serving women and children,” Baranko said. “Together, we are changing people’s lives for the better not only today but for generations to come.”
Grace Garden makes use of land that the church owned and helps the YWCA meet the demand for housing. Last year, 162 women and children applied for the YWCA’s housing program, and only 22 were able to gain homes.
“In 2015, YWCA set an ambitious goal to double the number of homes through YWCA Housing within five years to address the lack of supportive housing,” said Prochnow, “With the addition of Grace Garden, we have exceeded our goal. Expanding to 70 supportive housing units is growth of about 270% in four years.”
Multiple community partners joined in the planning, funding, and building of the $7.1 million development. Gate City Bank pledged the largest single investment in YWCA Cass Clay history, $1.5 million, to provide startup costs and the first 10 years of supportive staff services at Grace Garden.
Grace Garden was funded in a large part through programs administered by North Dakota Housing Finance Agency (NDHFA). The state agency awarded development assistance to the residence by allocating low-income housing tax credit authority that brought $6 million in equity to the project. The Richman Group is the tax credit investor.
The project is also financed with $325,549 from the National Housing Trust Fund and $500,000 from the state Housing Incentive Fund.
“Addressing North Dakota’s need for community-based permanent supportive housing is a development priority for North Dakota Housing Finance Agency,” said Jennifer Henderson, NDHFA’s Planning and Housing Development Division director. “Projects like Grace Garden provide the women who are working to rebuild their lives with a long-term home that is both safe and affordable.”
The North Dakota Department of Commerce supported the land acquisition for Grace Garden through the governor’s Community Development Block Grant funds.
The residence will receive rental assistance from the Housing Authority of Cass County through a $2.2 million, 15-year contract that provides 30 Housing Choice Vouchers.
Grace Garden’s residents will come primarily from the YWCA emergency shelter and other referring agencies in the community. There are already 23 applications in process.
