Joy is a longtime resident of Colonnade at the Creek, formerly known as Hillwood. She has been living in her apartment there since 1998. Everyone who meets Joy is immediately struck by her friendly demeanor and positive perspective on life. When Joy moved here from Trinidad and Tobago, she was excited to live near her sister and attend church together. She discovered that Colonnade met her needs. As a single woman and a senior, Colonnade is a place where Joy can be active and social while feeling safe. She can also get around without a car because of her apartment’s proximity to local busses. Joy stopped driving many years ago and access to public transportation is a lifeline for her.

Joy worked hard for many years. She worked at Sears part-time and later became a full-time employee there. After dedicating her working years to retail, Joy is now retired.

While the location of Colonnade was always ideal for Joy, the conditions were deteriorating before the renovation. Over the years, she experienced mold issues, plumbing leaks, and water coming in when it rained. The boiler in the basement made a loud clanging noise that was disruptive and overly hot. She would turn her heat down and still feel sweltering.

Now that MHP has renovated Colonnade, those issues are resolved. The renovation project included a variety of infrastructural modifications in addition to individual apartment upgrades. Joy and other Colonnade residents now have individual HVAC units tucked into a closet within their homes. They can control their heat usage. The units are also much more efficient, which benefits the environment.

Joy likes many features of her upgraded apartment. She said, “I love the kitchen and the bathroom. They are really, really nice. The set-up is great. The bathroom window has great light. The new windows and vertical blinds are bright and easier to open.”

Joy has noticed that her grocery bill has gone up with inflation. As a retiree on a limited income, it has been a challenge.  She said, “If they had raised the rent, I’d have to look into going somewhere else or share the apartment. I didn’t want that.”

If MHP had not purchased Colonnade and instead, it had been purchased by a luxury developer, where would Joy have gone? How much would she be paying? How would displacement impact her life, her stability?

With your support, MHP will be able to continue helping residents of our community, like Joy, and their families, as we have for more than 30 years. Your partnership allows us to provide affordable housing, empower families, and strengthen neighborhoods. Your support will enable us to double our impact over the next ten years.