Merkley Celebrates Grand Opening of New Affordable Housing Building in Eugene

Applauds project for its commitment to helping homeless veterans

Eugene, OR – November 9, 2010 – (RealEstateRama) — Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley helped celebrate the grand opening of the Donald L. Lamb Building, a mixed used complex with commercial space and 35 affordable housing units. The Donald L. Lamb Building is a St. Vincent de Paul affordable housing project that includes four units dedicated to helping homeless veterans find a home.

“The Lamb Building will provide financial stability and quality homes for dozens of low income families. It is a beautiful place,” said Merkley. “I applaud St. Vincent de Paul for designating four of these apartments for Vet LIFT, which assists our most vulnerable veterans and gets them services they need. In this week, when we are celebrating Veterans Day, we should call attention to the need for more programs of this nature to assist our thousands of homeless vets.”

“The special needs of veterans and affordable housing are important issues for our community, our state, and our nation,” said Terry McDonald, Executive Director of St. Vincent de Paul Society of Lane County.   “We are honored to have Senator Merkley celebrating our 1000th unit of affordable housing in Oregon.”

Four of the units at the Donald L. Lamb building are designated for the Vet LIFT program. Vet LIFT is a program that helps provide stable housing and assistance for homeless veterans.  Eugene has over 3,400 homeless veterans and this new complex will help a few local veterans find a stable home.  The apartments within the Donald L. Lamb building are available to individuals and couples at or below 50 percent and 60 percent of the area median income. The building cost $7.5 million to complete and was a joint effort between the state, city of Eugene and several local banks and other organizations. For more information about the Donald L. Lamb building or St. Vincent de Paul programs, go here.