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MARVIS HERRING REPORTS. MARVIS: THIS IS ACROSS THE STREET FROM THE NEW AFFORDABLE VETERANS HOUSING AND METRO GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS HOPE THAT MOMENTUM SPILLS THROUGH THE NEIGHBORHOOD CLEANING UP HOMES LIKE THIS. ONCE YOU SEE THESE PHOTOS IT'S MUCH EASIER TO TRULY APPRECIATE THE COMPLETE 180 THE DEVELOPERS HAS DONE TO THESE ONCE ABANDONED HOMES ON NORTH 24TH STREET. >> THIS THING HAD SAT VACANT SINCE AT LEAST 2011. THERE HAD BEEN A FIRE IN AT LEAST ONE AND TWO OF THE UNITS. MARVIS: THIS CRATER ON THE PORCH SHOWS THE PROBLEM SPILLED OUTSIDE, TOO. CHECK OUT THESE HOMES, TOO, SOON TO BE OCCUPIED BY VETERANS NEEDING AFFORDABLE HOUSING. >> THE PRICE FOR THEIR SERVICE COULD BE THEIR LIFE. THE LEAST WE CAN DO IS WHEN THEY COME HOME, TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'VE GOT GOOD, STABLE HOUSING LIKE WHAT YOU'RE SEEING HERE TODAY. MARVIS: FROM THE FLOOR TO THE BATHROOM, THE UPGRADES THE DEVELOPER MADE ARE ALL ENCOMPASSING. >> IT WAS INTIMIDATING IS WHAT I'M TRYING TO SAY. MARVIS: MIKE McKNIGHT TOLD US THE $325,000 PROJECT ALSO FOCUSES ON EFFICIENCY. >> WE PUT IN A VERY HIGH EFFICIENCY A.C. UNIT SO THE UTILITIES SHOULD BE VERY LOW FOR ANYONE THAT IS IN THERE. MARVIS: NEW TENANTS WILL SIGN A ONE-YEAR LEASE MANY OF THEM LEANING ON FEDERAL HELP TO PAY RENT FEES. VETERANS AFFAIRS OFFICIALS WILL HANDLE THE APPLICATIONS PROCESS. >> THEY'RE COMING FROM OFF THE STREET TO HOPEFULLY GETTING THEIR LIFE BACK IN ORDER. SO I MEAN, THAT -- WHEN THEY MOVE IN, THERE'S NOT A TIME LINE ON WHEN THEY GOT TO MOVE OUT. >> EVERYBODY SHOULD BE TRYING TO FIND A WAY

Advertisement Abandoned west Louisville property transformed into affordable housing for veterans New options in west Louisville for veterans struggling to afford housing Share Shares Copy Link Copy

There are new options in west Louisville for veterans struggling to afford housing.A local developer, who is also a U.S. Army veteran, helped transform abandoned property that sat vacant for about 10 years.“This thing had sat vacant since at least 2011,” said Laura Grabowski, the director of Louisville Metro Government’s Office of Community Development. “There had been a fire in a least one, and I think two, of the units.”The transformation to the 10 housing units on N. 24th Street in the Portland neighborhood can be seen both inside and outside the building.Mayor Greg Fischer said an “economic renaissance” is happening in that area. The new affordable housing units are a needed part of that, he said.“The price for their service could be their life. The least we could do is when they come home (is) to make sure that they have good stable housing, like what you're seeing today,” Fischer said.Mike McKnight, the project developer, said the heavy damage to the buildings never deterred him from working on this $325,000 project.He bought the foreclosed property for about $2,600 from the local land bank.McKnight explained that everything was built to make things easier for the men and women who move in.“We put in a very high efficient AC unit in there. So, the utilities should be very low for anyone that is in there,” McKnight told WLKY News.Tenants will sign a one-year lease, according the McKnight.They can use federal housing vouchers to pay their rent fees.“They're coming from off the street to hopefully getting their life back in order. So when they move in, there's not a timeline for when they've got to move out,” McKnight explained.