PEORIA, Ill. – Erica Jones was a resident in the former Taft Homes on NE Adams St. in Peoria. And she says living conditions in her house at Taft were not the best.
“It was a lot of maintenance issues,” Jones said. “I knew there was a lot of mold in the walls. My grandchildren couldn’t come over. Every time he would come over, he would leave in an ambulance. He would leave in an ambulance because of the mold in the walls and he had really bad allergies and stuff.”
Jones stayed at Taft Homes until construction began to build new homes on its site. She recently moved back in after completion of the first phase of construction of what is now known as Providence Pointe.
Providence Pointe is a $50 million Peoria Housing Authority project that will feature 142 units when fully finished. Most units are between one and three bedrooms, with some four and five bedroom units.
Each unit features energy-efficient appliances, walk-in bedroom closets, central heat and air, smart thermostats, and vinyl flooring. The property will have more greenspace, with a playground for children, and two community centers.
Jones says what she enjoys the most is the extra space in the homes, compared to what she used to live in at Taft, because she can have more of her grandchildren over, along with the dishwasher. She says moving into her new home feels like a “dark cloud” was lifted over her, and that her spirits and self-esteem has increased.
Peoria Housing Authority Senior Director of Operations Rachel Pollard says she has heard similar sentiments from residents. Pollard used to live in Taft Homes in the 1990’s, and recently met with a long-time resident of Taft Homes who also moved into one of the new Providence Pointe homes.
“She knew Taft was going to always get better. And they kept that family orientation with the residents, they stayed together. But to be given a unit that you can call home, just made everything, everything come together,” Pollard said.
There is still some construction to be done before a targeted completion of March 2024. Pollard says three former Taft Homes buildings still need to be torn down and replaced with new housing.
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