Detroit's St. Matthews revitalized into apartments

Former catholic school transforms into affordable housing

The space was converted into 46 affordable apartments – with 25 reserved for permanent supporting housing for people who have experienced homelessness.

DETROIT (FOX 2) - For a decade, St. Matthews Parish stood as an empty shell of its past glory. After a century on Detroit's east side, the building was crumbling and falling apart to the point that the gym was missing everything.

But after a massive investment of close to $40 million, the building wasn't razed, and it's not standing empty any longer. Today, it's affordable housing for Detroiters who need it the most.

"Instead of it becoming blight, which would be horrible, let’s repurpose it for something good that’s going to add value and help people in the neighborhood," Monsignor Chuck Kosanke said.

The backstory:

The space was converted into 46 affordable apartments – with 25 reserved for permanent supporting housing for people who have experienced homelessness.

"The shelter system is great for getting somebody off the street and keeping them safe for the night. But a lot of folks are homlesss because they have mental health issues; they have addiction, they had a bad run of financial health. When you put people in permanent supportive housing for six months or longer, you can give them the kind of help with those things and it makes a huge difference," Mayor Mike Duggan said.

At a cost of over $20 million, many partners had to come to the table, including Catholic Charities of Michigan, to help the community and preserve St. Matthews historic legacy.

It has a special place in the heart of Mayor Duggan, which is where he was baptized.

"I have literally never seen that picture until I walked in here. But my staff reached out to my 90-year-old mother who, of course, saves everything," he said.

Anyone interested in applying to live at St. Matthews can do so through the city's website later in the year.