MEMPHIS, Tenn. –Renovations will soon be underway at three, local housing complexes where residents say they’ve been living in fear and filth for many years.
A locked fence surrounds the Tulane Apartments where windows are boarded up.
It’s been that way since tenants were forced to move in 2016 after the previous owner, Global Ministries Foundation, had its federal funding yanked because conditions were so bad.
But after two years of sitting empty, Tulane is about to undergo major renovations and open up again.
“What it means is they`re going to get the kind of living conditions they had a right to expect all along and should have had throughout the time that Global Ministries ran those properties, said Ralph Perrey regarding the families living at the complexes.
Perrey is the Executive Directory of the Tennessee Housing Development Agency.
His agency recently allocated $50 million in tax exempt bond financing for the Millennia Group to start renovations at Tulane, Goodwill Village and Madison Tower.
Millennia acquired the Tulane Apartments and Warren Apartments through a court receivership. As WREG previously reported, Warren will likely be demolished.
The sale of Goodwill Village is finally complete, and Perrey says the Madison Tower deal should close in a few weeks.
Millennia is already managing the complexes, but with GMF officially out and funding in place, Perrey says long awaited work can begin.
“The closing of the financing means they now have the ability to move forward on a more rapid scale with the rehabilitation work and the relocation as necessary of some of those tenants.”
Dominique Lee lives at Goodwill Village.
“I can`t wait to see how it looks once they get done. I know it`s probably gonna be nice,” she said.
The complex will be re-named and undergo massive renovations.
Lee added, “I`m just happy that they doing this over cause it`s been a long time and these apartments really need to be done over.”
According to Millennia, the improvements at Goodwill and Madison Tower will include upgrades like new roofs, windows and HVAC.
Units will get new cabinets, flooring and appliances. Plus, the exterior will get a makeover with new landscaping and surveillance cameras.
“You can`t change the neighborhood, you can`t change the people, but if you change your surroundings, maybe it`ll help.”
The kind of change Lee hopes will make a difference.
Millennia is also set to buy Serenity Towers, but hasn’t finalized a renovation plan yet.
