City of Houston Welcomes New Development Supporting Veterans
July 21, 2022 -- Houston, Texas -- The City of Houston is proud to welcome a new supportive housing development in Midtown. After two years, the Light Rail Lofts celebrated its ribbon cutting today, August 4th.
Light Rail Lofts, at 4600 Main Street, sits on 0.39 acres and is a three-story facility serving veterans experiencing housing instability or homelessness. The 42,000 sq. ft. supportive housing community will provide 56 studio apartment units at affordable prices to veterans and their families earning at or below 30 and 60 percent of the area median income. In fact, more than half of the units (29) will provide permanent supportive housing to veterans experiencing homelessness. The community will also provide 14,000 sq. ft. of office space for supportive service organizations, such as the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and U.S. VETS.
“In 2016, Houston became the largest city in the nation to effectively end veteran homelessness. However, that doesn’t mean that Veteran homelessness is no longer an issue or resources aren’t needed,” said Mayor Sylvester Turner. “To maintain momentum, Houston must continue investing in quality, safe, and stable housing for veterans. We are proud to have the second largest veteran population in the nation, and we must continue to serve those who valiantly served our nation and us.”
The City of Houston contributed $3.4 million dollars of federal funds toward the $16.3 million Light Rail Lofts project. Other contributors include Harris County.
“Our veterans deserve to have a place to call home and have direct access to support services that will help them long after their years of service to our country, said Keith Bynam, Director of the City’s Housing and Community Development Department. “This needed facility offers housing, counseling, and career services – all under one roof.” The City of Houston (COH) and Harris County partnered with Cloudbreak Houston, LLC on the reconstruction of this property. Cloudbreak has a track record of developing high-quality and well-managed affordable housing communities across the U.S. In Houston, other projects include the Midtown Terrace and Travis Street.
"For years, our office has supported the mission of Cloudbreak Communities and their efforts to provide safe housing and additional services for this vulnerable population. We are excited to see this extension of its current property and look forward to seeing more lives changed," said Robert Dembo, Director of the Mayor’s Office for Veteran Affairs.
Since 2012, the city, county, VA, and more than 100 partners of The Way Home (Houston’s regional, homeless housing response system) worked together to permanently house more than 25,000 individuals and families experiencing homelessness.
The City of Houston Housing and Community Development (HCD) department makes long-term investments to improve the lives of Houston residents by creating opportunities for every Houstonian to have a home they can afford in a community where they can thrive. Our department will invest approximately $450 million in federal, state, and local funds this fiscal year to construct and maintain affordable homes, reduce barriers to homeownership, support the work of social service providers, build public amenities, and facilitate disaster recovery efforts. Learn more about programs and resources for Houstonians at http://houstontx.gov/housing.
