Lake Charles, LA — The doors of the Woodring Apartments open in the downtown area of Lake Charles providing affordable housing in a newly constructed complex. The Louisiana Housing Corporation (LHC), The City of Lake Charles, and HRI Communities celebrated the grand opening amongst Woodring residents and other housing partners that helped bring the project to fruition.
The Woodring Apartments features 110 multifamily units designed for mixed-income families. The complex also includes a fitness center, a community room, ample green space, and easy accessibility to the Lake Charles Downtown area. The Woodring Apartments replicates a walkable community that contributes to workforce development in the downtown area and economic development in the Lake Charles community. The multifamily housing complex transformed what used to be a vacant block into what it is today.
"I toured the Woodring Apartments a few weeks ago, and I had the opportunity to speak with some of the residents living here. They could not tell me a single negative," said LHC Executive Director Kevin Delahoussaye. "It's refreshing to hear what this project has done for the residents and the community of Lake Charles. We are grateful to help fund projects like this because it is a multi-purpose project that has many advantages."
For both phases of the Woodring Apartments, LHC awarded over $2M through the Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program (LIHTC). Through the partnership with the Office of Community Development, LHC awarded $18M through LHC's PRIME 2 which includes Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds. PRIME 2 is a competitive program under CDBG-DR. Through its design, the program requires housing to feature important disaster resiliency characteristics and requires mixed-income housing with either (a) market-rate units and LIHTC units affordable to households with incomes at or below 60% Area Median Income (AMI) or (b) LIHTC units averaging affordability at or below 60% AMI.
“We are proud to fund Woodring Apartments with an $18 million loan to help provide a much-needed, mixed-income community in Lake Charles that is resilient, sustainable and offers desirable amenities,” Louisiana Office of Community Development-Disaster Recovery Executive Director Gina Campo said. “The Woodring Apartments are located within walking distance of downtown job opportunities, which is an important feature for our workforce residents. In every way, this development shows what we can accomplish when we work together to ensure that Louisiana’s recovery is safer, stronger and smarter than before.”
The Woodring Apartments are built to an Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS) FORTIFIED Gold standard and Enterprise Green Communities certification.
“The State of Louisiana’s commitment to economic development and storm recovery is evident in its strategic investments in resilient, mixed-income housing like the Woodring Apartments," said HRI Communities President Josh Collen. "By leveraging programs such as LIHTC and PRIME 2, the State is not only addressing affordable housing needs but also fostering workforce development and long-term community resilience. This partnership is a model for rebuilding stronger, more vibrant communities.”
Contractor work for the Woodring Apartments was done by RDGD, and architecture was done by HCI Architecture, Inc.
For more information, visit: The Woodring Apartments Website
Interested residents can call: (337) 990-5752
Breanne Bizette
Public Information Officer, Louisiana Housing Corporation
