Dozens of senior citizens are moving into new apartments in the District designed for elderly residents on fixed incomes.
Mayor Muriel Bowser celebrated the opening of the affordable housing complex in Northwest D.C. Wednesday with a ribbon cutting ceremony outside of the building on Kennedy Street.
Terri Hill, a new resident in one of the building's 38 units, has been living with her daughters. Now she is able to afford her own apartment.
“It’s affordable housing for native Washingtonians like myself who are in the low-to-moderate income salary level,” Hill said. “For me, it means the world because I’m starting a new chapter in my life.”
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At the opening ceremony, Hill introduced Bowser, who aims to persuade the D.C. Council to approve $400 million for similar affordable housing projects.
“We have to protect the stock that we have but also look to create new stock, which is what we’re doing here today,” Bowser said.
The new building will include community space, a cyber café, a fitness center and 1,000 square feet of retail on the first floor, according to Deputy Mayor of Economic Development John Falcicchio.
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“This building is not just for the residents who live here but for this community,” Falcicchio said.
The land the new housing complex was built on was a blighted lot for years until the city bought the land. The building, which is in the 800 block of Kennedy Street NW, is just one block away from a building that collapsed during construction last week, leaving one man paralyzed.
The building was dedicated in honor to Todd Lee, a D.C. housing advocate who died last year.
“I feel honored and blessed to say for somebody to ask me, ‘Where do you live?’ to say the Todd A. Lee senior residence,” Hill said.
