Morrison housing complex receives nearly $1M grant
Close to $1 million has been earmarked for a new housing complex in the Morrison area.
Cumberland Regional Development Corporation has been awarded $917,143 from USDA Rural Housing Services for a housing complex. The development, called the Beacon Light Project, will be a 24-unit, two- and three-bedroom apartment complex that will provide sanitary and affordable housing for migrant farm workers.
“On a national level, the federal government has wanted to upgrade housing for these families for some time, and has now provided some funds to do that,” said Larry Webb of the Upper Cumberland Development District. “This is the first project we’ve done of this kind, and we’d like to do some more.”
Webb says the project is still in the planning stages.
“We still have some things to do as far as the architectural design process is concerned,” Webb said, but noted construction could begin as early as next summer.
The complex will be located in the Morrison area where the UCDD has an option on some land.
In fact the Beacon Light name was suggested by local residents, according to Webb.
The large number of nurseries in the area, many of which utilize a significant number of migrant workers, had an influence in the choice of Warren County for the project.
The scarcity of decent housing for migrant families has been a growing concern for the UCDD. Though some local residents have decried the large number of immigrants in the area, most acknowledge how important a dependable labor force is for local agricultural businesses.
“If they’re going to live here and help the economy grow,” Webb said, “they deserve a decent place to live.”