Representatives from Porter-Starke Services welcomed community officials, partners, and concerned citizens to celebrate the grand opening celebration of their new Aurora View Apartments and Townhomes project, providing safe, affordable housing to homeless and disabled residents of the area.
A project more than five years in the making and coming in at a cost of over $6 million, Aurora View was fully funded by federal tax credits and private investors, at no cost to local residents or the city of Valparaiso.
Mary Idstein, Chief Financial Officer of Porter-Starke, was pleased to announce the opening of the housing opportunity.
“This was a joint partnership between Porter -Starke and Housing Opportunities. We formed a partnership called Aurora View to provide housing with stable, subsidized rent,” Idstein said. “This provides safe, clean housing to those who have been disadvantaged.”
The project consists of 23 units across two locations. Aurora View Apartments, located on Valparaiso Street adjacent to the post office, consists of 15 one-bedroom apartments. Aurora View Townhomes is located on Vale Park Road and consists of 8 units: two three-bedroom units and six two-bedroom units, which provide housing opportunities for those who were recently homeless.
Idstein said that, although the apartments on Valparaiso Street have existed for over 30 years, they were thoroughly remodeled as part of this project.
“They were gutted to the studs and rebuilt with new interiors. Everything has been re-thought and remodeled to provide a better experience for those living here. Handrails have been added, and walk-in showers have replaced the former bathtubs for added convenience and safety,” Idstein said. “It’s really giving people a new chance and they are so excited.”
Matt Vessely, Regional President of 1st Source Bank, calls the project “a great addition to the landscape of our community.”
“We have a great relationship with the folks at Porter -Starke and Housing Opportunities, and we were pleased to partner with them on this project to provide affordable housing,” Vessely said.
“We were happy and grateful for the opportunity to help them with this project, from helping to arrange financing, to assisting with facilitating the grant application request to make investments and charitable donations to the project,” Vessely continued. “This is consistent with our mission to improve our communities, and this project does exactly that.”
Valparaiso Mayor Jon Costas addressed the crowd that had gathered to celebrate the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Valparaiso Street location, saying that projects like Aurora View help to strengthen the community.
“We live in a world where we need each other. My family has been touched by these non-profits and this is what makes a community work,” Mayor Costas said. “Our community is better because of this project.”
Other partners assisting with the project included Cinnaire, Core Construction, Shive Hattery Architecture and Engineering, the Indiana Housing & Community Development Authority, Milestone Ventures, and FHLBAnk of Indianapolis.
If you would like more information about Aurora View, or services offered by Porter Starke, visit them online at www.porterstarke.org.