HomeMy WebLinkAbout1980 09-23 Maplewood picked for handicapped housing site DISPATCH 6E St. Paul Dispatch Tuesday, Sept. 23, 1980
Maplewoodpicked for hand�cagyped housinJsitete ,
By BETSY BECKER Foundation as a site for a hous- for a $650,000 federal guaran- U.S. Rep. Bruce Vento an- said the group has not selected "Both Maplewood and Bloom-
Staff Writer ing project for the handicapped. teed loan from the Department nounced recently. sites in either city but is plan- ington are within those bounda-
- of Housing and Urban Develop- ning to build two five-unit build- ries."
Maplewood is one of two cities The Minneapolis-based foun- ment (HUD) to build the housing JOE BOSTON, executive di- ings in each community for per- The housing program is called
chosen by the National Ataxia dation has preliminary approval in Maplewood and Bloomington, rector of the ataxia foundation, sons afflicted with ataxia and Project Agile — a group inde-
tx ar degenerative diseases. pendent living environment, he
Ataxia is a hereditary disease said.
that affects balance and coordi-
nation. "OUR UNITS will bridge the
Further applications must be gap for persons who want to live
made and final HUD approval away from home, who .aren't
that disabled to need nursing
still be obtained, but if all goes
well, ground breaking may be home care, but who have some
next year at this time. The build- disability, he explained.
ings, in addition to being fi- The units will be designed to
nanced by the federal loan guar- provide accessibility for the
antee,will be eligible for Section handicapped and wheelchair
8 rent subsidies,he added. bound. But, he said, they will
take into account the special
Maplewood and Bloomington needs of ataxia sufferers.
were selected, he explained, af- "The floors will not be bare
ter a survey of persons associat- and there will be no sharp
ed with the non-profit founda- corners," he said. "One of the
tion. problems with ataxia is that
"From the questionnaire, we even with assistance, a person
had a number of respondents can easily fall. There is very lit-
preferring the south Minneapolis tle balance."
suburbs and the north St. Paul In addition, hand rails will be
suburbs, he said. "We also installed in every possible place.
wanted to stay within the bounds
of Project Mobility(public trans- "We're doing that so the pa-
portation for the handicapped)so tients will not have to succumb
that transportation wouldn't be- to the wheelchair as soon as
come a problem. otherwise,"he added.