TRENTON, Ga. — A local agency has joined two other groups to begin work on a 13-unit housing complex for disabled adults here.
The facility, off U.S. Highway 11 southwest of Trenton, will be built with funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and staffed by Volunteers of America Southeast, according to Marilyn Keller, chief clinical officer for Lookout Mountain Community Services. Ms. Keller’s group will place the residents, she said.
She said the homes will be accessible for the residents, many of whom have lived until now with families.
“Some of them just need to be able to move out and be more independent,” Ms. Keller said.
Sherry Atchison, director of project development for VOA Southeast, said disabled people need suitable housing that is near their families, but many rural areas such as Dade County don’t have enough such housing.
“There are so few accessible buildings ,and these will be,” she said.
Dade County Executive Ted Rumley agreed, saying he welcomed the complex.
“It’s something that we’ve needed for many years,” he said. “We have a tremendous need for our area.”
Ms. Atchison said the $1.46 million project is part of a growing effort to improve access in rural areas. Her agency has 10 similar complexes in Georgia and 15 in Alabama.
“We’re seeing an increase in the populations of people that need some sort of accommodation in their homes,” she said.
Ms. Keller said Lookout Mountain Community Services already has two homes in Walker County and one in Chattooga County. Adding one in Dade is important, she said.
“In Catoosa it’s easy to come down to Walker, but from Dade it’s not an easy drive,” she said.
Construction is running about 60 days behind, but the groups hope to open the complex in December, Ms. Atchison said.