Dustin White , Jeffersonville City Council member for District 1 , represents the Claysburg area . He said there has been an increased focus on investing in the neighborhood in recent years .
“ I think we ’ ve done a good job of giving a neighborhood that ’ s traditionally been ignored a lot of attention , and you can see it if you drive through there ,” he said .
Moon said the proposed renovation of the 12-story Claysburg II Towers on Wall Street has “ been a long time coming .” A Denverbased developer called Steele Properties is seeking to launch an $ 11.9 million rehabilitation at the privately-owned tower .
The planned project would include improvements to infrastructure , security , staffing and pest control at the facility , which has not seen any significant renovations since it was built in 1979 .
“ CERTAINLY WE ’ VE SEEN BOTH IN JEFFERSONVILLE AND IN NEW ALBANY THAT CONCENTRATING POVERTY IN PUBLIC HOUSING CREATES ITS OWN SET OF DYNAMICS THAT CAN BE PROBLEMATIC , BUT IT ’ S PARTICULARLY PROBLEMATIC WHEN IT ’ S COMPOUNDED BY THESE OTHER DISINVESTMENTS ,” FRY SAID .
People often cannot afford to move out of public housing due to high housing prices and limited affordable options , she said .
In recent years , the federal government has moved its focus away from concentrated public housing , and there has been a greater emphasis on providing housing vouchers and rental assistance for private housing .
“ The federal government has shifted to doing these rental assistance demonstration projects , and they ’ re trying to shift away from the government-owned public housing to the government providing more in the ways of subsidies on the order of Section 8 ,” Fry said .
The Community Needs Assessment describes various “ priorities for progress ” in Southern Indiana , including increasing affordable housing requirements for new developments , enforcing codes at rental properties , removing disincentives for property owners to participate in rental assistance programs and providing programs offering home repair support for low-income homeowners .
LOOKING TO THE FUTURE
The City of Jeffersonville has made improvements to the Claysburg neighborhood in recent years , including a $ 1 million Spring Street revitalization project that brought new lighting , sidewalks and bus stop shelters to the neighborhood .
“ I can ’ t wait to see how it ’ s going to look and how it ’ s going to benefit these residents who deserve to live in clean facilities with the amenities that are required ,” Moon said .
Claysburg II Towers have faced infestations of cockroaches , bedbugs and rodents over the years , as well as issues with air conditioning and the elevator .
“ You have a tower that ’ s 12 stories high , and the elevators are not working ,” Moon said . “ You see the police and EMS here on a daily basis .”
White said there have been many complaints over the years regarding the condition of the tower .
“ We ’ ve been unable to get any relief from code enforcement on issues out there ,” he said . “ If we ’ re able to get someone to come in and completely redo it , it would make me happy for residents to have a place to live with some dignity . If they ’ re going to renovate the whole thing , it would make the whole neighborhood better .”
10 2022 Diversity Magazine