Birmingham City Council Highlights 9.24.24
ITEM 2
The Council approved an amended ground lease agreement with Veranda at Graymont LLC for the group to repurpose the former Graymont School property into affordable housing for seniors.
Under the agreement, the group will lease the property for $1 a year for the next 75 years. In turn, the City will be providing $3.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding to fill the financial gap to make the project feasible.
According to City officials, the façade of the historic building will largely remain untouched, with the exception of ADA compliant improvements and ingress/egress points.
This project will compliment the recent federal $50 million CHOICE Neighborhood Grant that was awarded to the Smithfield community last year.
The primary goal of the CHOICE Neighborhoods Initiative is to address the challenges faced by distressed neighborhoods and create positive, lasting change. This involves replacing or rehabilitating obsolete public buildings, promoting affordable housing, and implementing community and economic development strategies.
The $50 million grant and the agreement that was approved today are part of a $282.9 million revitalization effort that is bringing multiple partners together to completely transform the Smithfield Community.
“This is a beautiful project, and one that is going to be an asset to members of this community for years to come,” said Councilor JT Moore, Chair of the Economic Development Committee. “This will allow us to not only redevelop a historic property, but it will put a roof over the heads of some of our elderly neighbors, which is extremely important. This is a huge deal and a fantastic use of these ARPA dollars.”
There will be approximately 101 affordable housing units in the new development and the units will be available to families/residents making 80 percent of the Area Median Income (roughly below $67,000 annual income for a family of four; below $32,000 for a single tenant).
“This is the first phase of us replacing 450 units of affordable housing at the Smithfield site, which we will eventually be developing into 950 units of mixed-use housing across eight different sites in the neighborhood,” Council President Darrell O’Quinn said. “In addition to the senior housing component, there will be an early learning child development center on the ground floor, which really makes this an intergenerational community on this site.”
ITEM 12
The Council approved a program that will be funded in part by Councilor LaTonya Tate’s District 9 American Rescue Plan Act funds — the agreement is for an amount not to exceed $45,000 for Mercy Deliverance Ministries to operate a mobile grocery store for Birmingham’s low-income households.
Under the agreement, this organization will provide free food boxes that contain healthy, fresh meals multiple times per week for families to improve food security for qualifying residents in Birmingham’s District 9.
According to a recent study published by the University of Alabama at Birmingham, in Alabama, roughly two million residents live in a food desert, and almost 150,000 of them live in Birmingham. This accounts for 69% of the city’s total population.
“Building equity in our community, especially as it relates to food insecurity, we must address these issues in such a way that ensures healthy, affordable food options for residents that live in one of Birmingham’s designated food deserts,” Councilor LaTonya Tate said. “I’m proud to partner with this incredible organization in this endeavor to provide assistance families struggling with food insecurity and transportation limitations.”
ITEM 13
The Birmingham City Council received an important update about the Jefferson County Family Resource Center’s RESTORE Program, before approving a one-year agreement for the services.
RESTORE is a juvenile re-entry program launched by the City of Birmingham in 2023.
It aims to provide comprehensive services and support to youth ages 16 to 19 who have been placed in state custody for a minimum of 30 days. The $225,000 that was approved on Tuesday will help the group continue to make inroads with Birmingham’s at-risk youth population. So far, the program has showed a lot of promise for helping to reduce youth violence.
A recent 18-month study in Birmingham revealed the average current age of murder victims and perpetrators is between 30–32 years old.
“Something that broke my heart recently is a survey I saw from young people in Birmingham, and they were asked: How would you describe violence in your neighborhood? Some of them said, ‘It’s everywhere,’” Councilor Crystal Smitherman said. “I want to publicly thank the people who have been making this progress with our young people through this program. These kids are the future of this city and we have to support them every step of the way. I’m very encouraged by the data we’ve seen from this past year and I look forward to making an even bigger impact over the next 12 months.”
Through the RESTORE Program, contact is made at least four times a week with participants and their guardian/custodian; at least two of those contacts are in person through workshops. By focusing on and pairing high-risk individuals with highly-trained RESTORE Coordinators, case plans are specific and intentionally focused on immediate needs of the participants and the family, creating an effective continuum of care.
Here is a brief breakdown of the results we’ve seen in the last year:
