The first phase of a demolition program at Danville’s Fair Oaks Public Housing area is coming soon. Jacqueline Vinson is the Executive Director of the Housing Authority of Danville….
”July the 8th is the big day! We start demolition of our phase one demolition for Fair Oaks,” said Vinson. ”So the fifty-seven families who needed to be relocated have been relocated, which is a massive undertaking from both my Public Housing Department as well as the Housing Choice Voucher Section 8 Department, to work together to get those families relocated to the places where they wanted to be,” she added.
And after those buildings come down Vinson says the vacant land will see some improvements…
”And then we will make sure that we make the area what we would want if we were living in a housing development like that – with green space separation, and areas for people to hang out — you know, park pavilions, grills, (and) things along those lines,” added Vinson.
The City of Danville is leading the demolition work on those units. Other units will remain at Fair Oaks but Vinson says a phase two demolition project is planned.
Vinson notes citizens often here that there is affordable housing in the Danville and Vermilion County area….
”But the problems that we have in terms of affordable housing is the quality,” said Vinson on WDAN Radio’s News Makers program. ”And often times our affordable housing here in Danville isn’t meeting the basic quality to even pass our housing quality standards on our Section 8 Program. So what we want to look for in the future is how can the Housing Authority or our non-for-profit step in and bridge that gap to make sure that – yes, we have affordable housing for our families in need here in Vermilion County, but it is of a high quality.”
You can listen to the entire News Makers program with Vinson by going to Vermilion County First On Demand on the homepage of VermilionCountyFirst.com.
