Centerstone, City of Bloomington, State and Community Partners Break Ground on Affordable Housing Development Kinser Flats

Bloomington, Ind. – On Tuesday, October 1 at 1:00 p.m., Mayor John Hamilton and Centerstone Indiana CEO Suzanne Koesel will gather with other community and business leaders to break ground for the new Kinser Flats apartment complex to be constructed at 1610 North Kinser Pike. 

Centerstone is the developer and owner of this 50-unit complex that will provide 38 one-bedroom and 12 two-bedroom units of affordable permanent housing for families and individuals experiencing homelessness and with substance use disorder or co-occurring substance use and mental health disorders.  The Kinser Flats building design includes space for onsite recovery-focused supportive services for tenants to be provided by Centerstone and other community partners. Kinser Flats will operate as a low-barrier facility guided by the Housing First, harm-reduction approach, which prioritizes housing as a basic foundation for life improvement. 

“Housing is often a critical part of the recovery journey,” said Koesel. “By providing affordable permanent housing with onsite services, Kinser Flats will provide a foundation for individuals and families on their journey of recovery from opioid and other substance use disorders.” 

Funding for the affordable housing development has been secured through city, state, and federal sources, matched with private financing, including the first investment facilitated through CDFI-Friendly Bloomington (CFB).  A new nonprofit, CFB works to connect local investment opportunities with community development finance institutions (CDFIs), private financing entities that specialize in markets and populations that often cannot qualify for traditional financing. 

The City of Bloomington Housing and Neighborhood Development Department (HAND) provided $175,000 in federal HOME funds and the Bloomington Housing Authority (BHA) is making project-based Section 8 vouchers available. The City’s investment in Kinser Flats represents the sixteenth affordable housing project it has partnered to develop since 2016, adding 826 units to the city’s inventory.  

“Robust partnerships with organizations like Centerstone are the key to our city’s long-term viability,” said Hamilton.  “The City is working hard to ensure housing for everyone who calls Bloomington home, including those residents who are faced with substance use disorder, mental health issues, and the challenges associated with them.”  

Old National Bank has provided the construction loan and permanent financing and sponsored the $500,000 Affordable Housing Program award from the Federal Home Loan Bank Indianapolis.  The Indiana Housing & Community Development Authority awarded the project $1,100,786 in Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC), $500,000 from its Development Fund, and provided additional Section 8 vouchers. 

Additional partners in the project include Cinnaire, Keystone Construction, ARCHitecture Trio Inc., Hayes Gibson Property Services, and Milner & Caringella Inc. Its participation in the project facilitated by CFB, Michigan-based Cinnaire is a CDFI that specializes in affordable housing tax credit projects. 

“Not only is this project an exemplary partnership between local nonprofits, local banks, and regional developers and investors that will change lives right here in Bloomington, but it shows the potential of collective efforts to actively promoting community investment opportunities outside our region,” said CFB Executive Director Brian Payne.

In Monroe County, Centerstone provides 140 beds of housing for persons with mental health and/or substance use disorders that range from 30-day subacute stays for persons in early recovery to permanent supportive housing for persons with mental health and co-occurring disorders. 

Over the last three years, the City of Bloomington has invested in affordable housing to accommodate seniors, individuals with disabilities, those experiencing chronic homelessness, residents at the lowest percentage of area mean income, and workforce housing based on 80 to 120% of the area mean income.  In 2019, the City helped break ground at Switchyard Apartments (1901 South Rogers Street) and Southern Knoll (1107 West Third Street), provided funding for the rehabilitation of 116 units operated by the Bloomington Housing Authority and  208 units at Limestone Crossing, and pledged to construct infrastructure to support the development of around 50 homes at Osage Place, Habitat for Humanity’s latest community, to be constructed in the Broadview neighborhood.        

About Centerstone

Centerstone is a nationally recognized, CARF-accredited, not-for-profit health care organization dedicated to delivering care that changes people’s lives. Centerstone provides mental health and substance use treatment, related crisis care, education and support to people of all ages. Centerstone also serves specialized populations including service members, veterans and their loved ones, and at-risk children. Centerstone Research Institute improves behavioral health care through research, evaluation and technology, and its foundation secures philanthropic resources to support its work. Through more than 60 facilities in over 20 Indiana counties, Centerstone serves approximately 25,000 children, adolescents, adults and seniors each year.