The promise of Government Street - Baton Rouge Area Foundation

an attorney specializing in disability claims is also at the
center.
These services take place on the center’s expansive first
floor, while the housing units are located on the second
and third floors. Clients who obtain a housing unit are all
disabled, and their benefits allow them to pay rent ranging
from about $215 to $300 per month.
Nichols says about eight funding streams have contributed
to the Center’s creation, but it’s primarily funded
through federal low-income housing tax credits. The Scott
School Apartments were paid for in a similar fashion.
Baton Rouge Parish School System for $700,000. Former
classrooms are now expansive, attractive one-bedroom
units that can be rented by those earning 20-50% of the
area’s median income.
The building’s landscaping is being provided by Plant
it Forward, a social enterprise program of the O’Brien
House, a substance abuse treatment and transitional housing
center. The cleaning and janitorial services are provided
by Louisiana Industries for the Disabled (UpLIFTD). Both
organizations are CAAH members.
Nichols says that homelessness is an issue that touches
People are touched because they appreciate
this very basic need, the need for a home, and
they can’t imagine life without it.
—Randy Nichols, Capitol Area Alliance for the Homeless executive director
When the housing market crashed in 2008, investors for
tax credits were hard to come by. But the One Stop Center
and the Scott School Project qualified for a special exchange
program with the U.S. Treasury. The federal government
became the investor and provided the capital for the
projects.
If the One Stop Center is for individuals and families
facing dire circumstances, the Scott School Apartment
Homes attempts to protect economically vulnerable populations
from becoming homeless. It provides an affordable
housing alternative for working people who earn less
than the median income. The development addresses a
key concern revealed after Hurricane Katrina: a lack of
affordable housing for the low-income workers crucial to a
community’s economic fortunes. Service workers, teachers’
aides and some law enforcement have faced difficulty finding
affordable housing options, particularly in cities that
have experienced a growth in population.
The CAAH’s real estate partner, Gulf Coast Housing
Partnership, purchased the former school from the East
nearly everyone regardless of their station in life, making
it a cause that most in the community feel compelled to get
behind.
“Even if you don’t know someone who is homeless, you’ve
probably been confronted by this issue,” says Nichols.
“People are touched because they appreciate this very basic
need, the need for a home, and they can’t imagine life without
it.” •
baton rouge area foundation . braf.org
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