Volunteers of America North Louisiana chaplain John Henson led a call-and-response blessing Tuesday as part of a dedication ceremony for a new 50-unit Shreveport apartment complex for low-income seniors.
“To the skill and wisdom that bring peace and comfort to our communities’ senior citizens,” Henson said. “We dedicate this building,” the assembly answered.
Volunteers of America North Louisiana partnered with its national office and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development on the $6 million project called South Pointe Place. The waiting list for the one-bedroom apartments swelled to 150 before the complex was completed this summer.
VOA North Louisiana CEO Chuck Meehan says the waiting list now has 30 seniors on it, and growing.
“This is actually the eighth property in our geographic area that we’ve been able to develop,” Meehan said, adding it’s the most excited he’s been about a project in his 27-year tenure. “Frankly, we’re just scratching the surface. The need is so incredible that we have to keep at it.”
Kay Bergeron, 75, from Plaquemines Parish, moved to Shreveport after Hurricane Katrina. She lived with her daughter’s family for almost a decade. Her new apartment allows her to host her grandchildren. An avid walker, she can easily stroll to the nearby Walmart.
“I feel safe, comfortable, thankful, and grateful. It’s a beautiful building inside and out and beautiful people running it,” Bergeron said, who opened up her apartment for the event.
The facility houses an adult day health program on the first floor, called the Ballington Center. Rent at this HUD-assisted property is based on a sliding scale for qualifying people 62 and older. Tenants pay 30 percent of their monthly adjusted income.
