Dayton, OH—Today, Congressman Mike Turner (OH-10) spoke at the Groundbreaking Ceremony for Lyons Place II. This facility will provide access to high quality, energy efficient, safe, secure and affordable housing for independent seniors and veterans who have served our Nation.
Congressman Turner has long been an advocate for providing access to affordable housing for Dayton’s veterans. In the course of his work with the Dayton Veterans Medical Center, he helped identify the need for additional senior low income housing for our veterans.
Subsequently, Congressman Turner supported the efforts of St. Mary Development Corporation's, a non-profit housing developer headquartered in Dayton, to construct senior veteran housing on the Dayton VAMC grounds.
St Mary sought to secure an enhanced use lease with the Department of Veteran’s Affairs in order to construct this housing on the Dayton VAMC. Additionally, they were awarded a $5.1 million grant from HUD (the Department of Housing and Urban Development) in order to help finance the project.
However, there were conflicting rules and regulations between the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
In response, Congressman Turner was able to successfully include language in the Fiscal Year 2010 Consolidated Appropriations Act to ensure that such conflicting regulations would not stand in the way of this project.
Following the Groundbreaking Celebration, Congressman Turner released the following statement.
“I am proud to have authored an amendment that directly facilitated the creation of Lyons Place II.
I have been a leader on this project from the beginning and I was glad to take part in an important step forward this afternoon.
Our servicemen and women have risked their lives to serve this country and protect our national interests. The least we can do is ensure they have access to good housing, a good job, and the best healthcare when they come home.
This facility will provide veterans in need with quality housing and easy access to the medical care they need.
It has been an honor to advocate for Dayton’s veterans and I will continue to work to bring additional resources to the Dayton VAMC."
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