Community Matters Newsletter – Fall 2012

Mercy Housing Southeast is the Winner of the Affordable Housing Finance Readers’ Choice Award in the Best Master-Planned/Mix-Use category!

Originally built in 1943 to house employees of the Southeastern Shipbuilding Corp., the Strathmore Estates complex in the Savannah Gardens community of Savannah, Ga., was meant to be dismantled after the war. By 2007 occupancy fell to 20 percent, and it was recognized as a magnet of crime and abandonment in the city.

Revitalization efforts by Mercy Housing Southeast are repairing this community’s reputation. The first two phases are complete with a third phase wrapping up this fall. The 249 units will primarily serve low-income households who earn less than 60 percent of the area median income, with 39 units reserved for very low-income seniors 62 and older. The master plan will include homeownership opportunities and green space while blending seamlessly with the surrounding neighborhood.