Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett joined Englewood Community Development Corp. (ECDC) and CVS Health to unveil the new St. Lucas Loft Apartments on July 10.
Located in Englewood on the Near Eastside, the three-story apartment building was unveiled to the public as affordable housing units for a variety of families and youth experiencing homelessness. Owned and operated by nonprofit developer Englewood CDC, St. Lucas Loft Apartments welcomes families with 30%, 40% and 50% median area income (AMI).
“By providing residents with wraparound services such as health care, education, financial literacy, career support, this project will make a transformative difference in the lives of many people,” Hogsett said. “How could you not be proud of that? How can we as a community, as a city, not be proud of that?”
St. Lucas Lofts Apartments has been in the works since 2020, Hogsett said during the press conference. The push to increase access to affordable and permanent housing comes from a “highly collaborative” ongoing strategy from the city, not-for-profit and private sector organizations — including Outreach, Inc., Adult & Child Health, CVS Health and the John Boner Neighborhood Centers (JBNC).
Designed by Blackline Studios + Guidion Design, St. Lucas Loft Apartments features 48 units, including one-, two- and three-bedroom homes with complete kitchen and bathrooms and onsite support services. Ten of the building’s units, funded by a $2 million grant from the City, are designated as permanent supportive housing for youth ages 14-24 experiencing homelessness, said Andrew Neal, CEO of Outreach Inc.
“The reality is there’s still more work for us to do,” Neal said. “We know that there’s an estimated 7,800 14-to-24-year-olds who experience homelessness in Indianapolis every year, and so this is a great step for us, but we are eager to see continued investment in housing.”
In addition to support services, youth will also receive rental assistance from the Department of Metropolitan Development and the Indianapolis Housing Agency.
Anne Crees, CEO of CVS Health, said their organization believes access to housing is part of comprehensive health care and invested a $10 million foundational investment to build the property — equaling a $26 million that has been invested into affordable housing across Indiana.
“As the nation’s leading health solutions company, CVS health recognizes that equitable housing really is the greatest barrier to achieving good health,” Crees said. “Healthy [sic] should never be put on the backburner, and so that’s why we believe home is where the health care is.”
CVS Health also provided home goods for the 10 PSH units, as well as welcome baskets for each of the residents, Crees said.
For more information, visit cvshealth.com/news/community/cvs-health-invests-10-million-in-indianapolis-affordable-housing.html