[mostie]

What, exactly, is the benefit for our town when a whole entire new complex is built and its only limited to being rented to people who are going to pay $200-$300/month for rent? Why not allow BOTH types of income in, and gee... like, MAKE A LITTLE REVENUE by making more per month on some rental units??

I don't think that it matters to them about 'revenue', because if these are low income apartments, the owners of the apartments are making full price on those rentals- the govt. picks up the rest of the rent that the tenant doesn't pay, so it's guaranteed each month and at the asking price of the owners- I know, it doesn't seem fair for someone who works hard and can't get a break of any sort- I have a daughter out in California who can't get any grants for college, even though she is definitely low income- she would have to be pregnant or married to qualify- kind of a sad state of affairs sometimes, I think- and somewhat backwards as well-

[nic073]

Originally Posted by mostie

I have a daughter out in California who can't get any grants for college, even though she is definitely low income- she would have to be pregnant or married to qualify- kind of a sad state of affairs sometimes, I think- and somewhat backwards as well-

I know how she feels. I completed college with no financial help from my parents. I received minimal grants for school and now have $50k in student loans. Half of college I was single, living with my fiance. The other half I was married. Now, my sister (who is, along with most of her friends, the epitome of taking advantage of the government housing/fia etc etc..) is a young, single mom (as are 99% of her young friends) and guess who gets 100% free college? Its so comforting knowing I should have been irresponsible and gotten knocked up right after high school in order to get any help with college. I think many things are very backwards with that situation.

[mostie]

I totally agree, Nic- they count my income as her income, even though I don't support her, I live in MI and she lives in CA- she is almost 22, and this will go on until she's 24- I remarried in June, and I'm sure they will count my husband's income as well- the only way that she could possibly qualify for any grants would be if she were married or pregnant, on state aid- she told me one day, 'geez, I guess I screwed up my education by not getting pregnant, didn't I? What was I thinking?'- it's hard when you do things the right and responsible way, to realize that you are going to pay through the nose for it- the only thing I told her is that regardless, education is the only way out of a life of minimum wage- and that regardless of the cost later on, it should be worth it even when the student loans come due-

[taraf13]

Jackson is not Ann Arbor, let's start with that. Not E. Lansing either. It's Jackson. It is a hole, no. Is it heaven, no. It's a great town though. Just 10 years ago the downtown was nothing. It's made steady progress, and good progress inthe last few years. Had the economy been better, the downtown would be better.

Just look around. I see that there are more food options downtown, Lenny's, Night Light, Matt, Sugar & Spice, Crazy Cowboy, and some bars that I would not go into. Point is, there's more options, and more to come.

One place that really impresses me is the Jackson Coffee Co. Moderator cut: advertising

Enough about coffee, the point is the place did it right. If all businesses looked like this place, treated their customers this way, and kept it as clean as they do, the downtown would be so much more than what it is.

I've worked at consumers for 13 years now. I remember jackson just a few years ago when it didn't offer 1/2 of what it has now. I can only hope that once this economy turns around, the downtown will be even better. I hear more positive things than negative.

[leadsquirter]

I was in downtown Jackson for the first time last year. Just had an hour to walk around. I really liked the old hardware store that I stumbled across and the Gun shop. Also liked the older tall buildings, the theater and train station. You could feel the history in Jackson. You can have all the new glass skyscrapers...they have no soul. I'm sixty years of age now and have really begun to appreciate the buildings constructed in the 1920's and 30's. Like the ones in Jackson and the art-deco bank buildings in Battle Creek and Kalamazoo.

[Jacksonista]

Here's the deal with the Armory Apartments. The intention is that they will be occupied by artists; most artists have side jobs, but they are either low paying or these artists only work part-time so that they can spend the rest of it creating artwork, doing shows, etc. I do understand the concept and part of the reason it is set up like this was to receive the funding necessary to get it off of the ground. Also, since it's an arts colony I would much prefer it be housing artists and not joe public, no offense is intended here. The following phases of development will include tons of housing that is not income restricted so everybody gets a chance to be a part of it without being an artist. There are many here who bemoan the entire Armory Project and call it a Section 8 magnet, but it is quite the opposite. It has already brought many talented people here and these talented people attract others to the area. It is very good for Jackson.

Also, it is not really Section 8 in the true sense, because that also means rent-free, which these most certainly are not,nor ever will be. You have to have an income and be able to pay the rent to live there. It's affordable housing, not Section 8.

The Mechanic Lofts are fantastic and they were all rented before the building was even completed. Had these had rents set at $1200 a month or more, most would still be empty, the rents were set at $474-568 depending upon the # of bedrooms. These also are not Section 8, I don't know much about Section 8 though, so maybe I'm wrong?

I'm not sure what kind of money your sister has, but Jackson has some very interesting programs. The Community Development department gives loans and grants to do renovations on apartments that sit above the store fronts downtown, if I weren't a homeowner, I would have done this because I love old downtowns. I know, our downtown, after 6 PM sn't exactly bustling but I think one day it will be, we need to populate it and keep it alive.

Oh, there is also a developer building lofts into a very old building at 159 Pearl Street. Have your sister check these out.

Then you have mega-lofts (City View Lofts) built in the old American Corset Factory on Washington in a building designed by Alfred Kahn. These are expensive, but they are incredible.
Good luck!

[Bluefly]

A lot of cities have gotten away from the model of concentrating poor and have torn down "projects" that concentrated poverty in favor of mixture of housing, some of which is free market and others of which is subsidized. It's proven very successful in places like DC and Chicago. Perhaps Jackson is just behind the times (though $410 a month for someone making $12,000 a year seems really high and difficult to manage).

The complex focused on attracting artists is a different mission though. It is using government subsidies to attract the cultural and the creative class to Jackson. If it's done right, hat kind of housing could, on its own, reep far larger benefits for the city than the cost of the public investment to allow artists to live inexpensively.

[Jacksonista]

Originally Posted by summitlover

I am one of those people who is applying for the Jackson Armory Arts Village. The village was built using MSHDA funding and tax credits. Because federal and state funds were used to rejuvenate these buildings they have specific guidelines they have to follow as far as income. For those making less than $12.000.00 a year a one bedroom is $410.00 per month. Those who have more income pay considerably more, no one is paying a mere $200.00 for an apartment unless they already have a section 8 voucher. As far as the real-low income people very few if any have been allowed in. They have been turned away becuase they either couldn't prove that they could pay the rent or becuase they had a judgement against them from a previous landlord.

Some of the ways that this village will help is through the expenditures of the residents. For example, if I am approved---I will be doing all of my purchasing there as far as food, furniture, gasoline, appliances, etc. etc. The bigger draw is the hope that with this many artists in town, Jackson could become a place that other people would seek out to either visit and spend money, buy art goods at the galleries at the Village, and draw other people in to boost the economy. Additionally, the Armory Arts Village will be adding a section adjacent to the artist housing for the general public to live in.

When I took my tour of the village, a lady from Florida had just arrived to move in. She had sold her huge home in Miami to live at the Armory. After viewing her incredibly beautiful huge apartment I was taken to the one bedrooms slated for people in my income bracket and I can tell you that the disparity between the two was incredible. I am a single woman who is very well educated (masters degree) who just happens to be disabled.

I can also tell you that what they (the property management co.) have put me though has been horrible and probably not something you would want to go through. I was more than happy to sign over all of my income information, signing releases for every financial insititution I have ever done busines with, and allowing for detailed criminal checks etc. And I have been more than happy to supply thim with notarized copies of this and that numerous times. However, they have called everone that they could find and asked them these questions:

1. Does she clean her house.
2. Does she have unapproved guests at her house at night.
3. Are you sure you haven't ever had a court judgement against her.
4. Are you sure that she is living there by herself and no one else is living with her.
5. Does she have alot of people coming and going from her apartment at different hours.

-----and that's just a few of the questions----

I realize that they have to screen applicants thoroughly, I just wish they could have made it more humane. I am not a criminal, not a prostitute, don't do drugs, don't sell drugs, and yes I keep my home clean. I wish that I wasn't disabled, but I can't change that. I have been a homeowner and have raised a child AND I put myself through college and grad school.

I am beginning to wonder if they are trying to find a way of weeding out the haves from the have nots, and I am beginning to wonder if Jackson is a good place for me. IF I am approved the rent will take half of my income, no one is getting anything for free here.

I toured the facility before it was finished. If I remember correctly, the apartments were leased on a FCFS basis, not income restrictions. Naturally, the lofts that had the 20ft. high windows would go first and this was a reward for being there at the beginning.

I hope things work out for you.

[MittenDweller82]

Just like anything else that opens in Jackson, it will be closed within several months. People in Jackson could care less about "artistic" living, they are interested in Dollar General, Wall Mart, and the cheapest smallest duplex they can find. Just take a look at the cheapest APT complexes in the area....and those are the ones that are jammed full. Don't make the move......its ridiculous to think that the management agency will find anything but the rift raft that exists near the apt's, who are they going to attract in a city that has one of the lowest per capita incomes in the country? Certainly no one with money...........once again area leaders are absolutely clueless.