News Release
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Mayor Baker Joins UCP and Its Funding Partners To Unveil Garrett House: An Affordable and Accessible New Residence in Quaker Hill for People with Physical Disabilities
Occupants Are About to Move In To Their Historic New Home
Wilmington Mayor James M. Baker joined United Cerebral Palsy of Delaware, Inc. (UCP) and Independent Resources, Inc. (IRI) in Wilmington’s Quaker Hill neighborhood today to unveil Garrett House—Delaware’s newest housing option for people with physical disabilities. Comprised of seven individual apartment units, Garrett House provides independent, residential apartments for adults with physically disabilities who also meet federal income guidelines.
Located at 609 Washington Street, Garrett House was once the home of Ellwood Garrett, son of the renowned Wilmington abolitionist Thomas Garrett, for whom the new residence is named. Built in 1848, the original building had fallen into extreme disrepair by 2001, when it was acquired by the City of Wilmington. The City’s Office of Real Estate and Housing hired contractors to stabilize the front of the building because it was in danger of collapse.
In 2005, Independent Resources, Inc., a Delaware agency that assists persons with disabilities, partnered with UCP to find a suitable location to establish a low-income residence for individuals with physical challenges. The partners contacted the City of Wilmington, which offered the property that would become the Garrett House. The City of Wilmington donated the building and the property to UCP which became the project’s lead agency in April of 2008.
UCP took on the job of raising the funds to renovate the original building and to add new construction to increase the number of apartments. Bill McCool, Executive Director of UCP, said the 18-month, $1.8 million renovation of the property was fraught with challenges.
“The building was truly in disrepair,” said McCool. “The rear of the building had fallen down, the roof had holes in it, and the building had suffered years of water damage. The interior was virtually unusable and needed new floor joists and supports for structural integrity. The front brick wall of the three story building was in danger of falling into the street. But through it all, we could still see the benefit for people if we could make this project happen.”
Because Garrett House is located in Quaker Hill, one of the City’s historic districts, all renovation work on the property had to be performed in accordance with standards designed to preserve as much as the building’s historical features as possible. New construction also had to be approved by the City’s Design Review and Preservation Commission to ensure that it was in character with the rest of the building and the neighborhood.
Further complicating the lengthy renovation was the detection of arsenic in soil samples taken around the property. While arsenic occurs naturally in Wilmington’s topsoil, before the ground surrounding the property could be disturbed for the necessary foundation work, the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control had to remediate (remove and replace) the contaminated soil.
Garrett House renovations were completed in December of 2011. The newly renovated three-story building features an elevator, wide interior doors, and seven individual apartments—each with its own washing machine and dryer. Five of the apartments are one-bedroom units, and two of the units have two bedrooms. The building has two accessible means of entrance and exit, as well as a parking lot with five parking spaces for those with wheelchair-accessible vans.
“The Garrett House project is a win/win solution for the entire Wilmington community,” said Mayor Baker. “Not only has United Cerebral Palsy of Delaware breathed new life into an historic building, but the project has also added to the rich diversity of the neighborhood with the addition of seven new residents who I am proud to welcome to the City.”
Capital funding for Garrett House came from a grant from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). To ensure compliance with HUD requirements, UCP transferred the property to Garrett House, Inc. — an independent 501(c)(3) organization.
Additional funding was provided by the City of Wilmington, the Delaware State Housing Authority, the Delaware Division of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC), New Castle County, JPMorganChase, Bank of America, First State Community Loan Fund, Delmarva Power, the Longwood Foundation, and Crystal Trust.
Because it was funded with a HUD grant, Garrett House has a rent subsidy for people with disabilities who are low income. To qualify for an apartment, tenants must be classified as “very low income” according to current HUD income limits. Annual income must not exceed: $28,150 (1 person) $32,200 (2 people) $36,200 (3 people) $40,200 (4 people) $43,450 (5 people) and $46,650 (6 people).
Occupants are being interviewed now for the seven apartments; there are ten individuals already on the waiting list. To apply for a unit, an individual must contact UCP at 302-764-2400 and request a preliminary application. Once the completed preliminary application is received by UCP, the prospective tenant is placed on the Garrett House waiting list according to date and time that the application was received. When Garrett House has an opening for a tenant, an individual from the waiting list is given a full application to complete and is invited to attend a briefing interview to complete the process. At the briefing interview, the applicant will bring a completed full application and paperwork will be completed to verify program eligibility.
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Contact:
For information about Garrett House and United Cerebral Palsy of Delaware, Inc. (UCP), please contact UCP Executive Director Bill Mc Cool at 302-764-2400.