By KEVIN CHIRI
Slidell news bureau
SLIDELL – There are a total of 100 senior housing units being occupied these days far out Hwy. 1091 on what most people here know as Robert Boulevard. And even though T.J. Smith, Jr. said that is not necessarily his proudest accomplishment during 20 years in public life, you would be hard pressed to convince the residents there of that.
Smith was among the leadership at Salvation Baptist Church in 2002 that decided to purchase 8.5 acres of land in the St. Joe community, even knowing they did not have a specific plan to do something with the property. The land would soon become senior housing for low-income residents.
The small congregation of barely 50 members followed the lead of Pastor Felix James in deciding on the purchase simply because, “he had a vision that we should buy the land since it was so close to the church.”
The owner of the property, former Sears CEO Thurmond Williams, sold the land for $88,000 by owner financing the church’s purchase, leading Smith and the leadership to begin praying what to do with it.
“There are so many people in St. Joe and other low-income areas who live in houses that are literally falling apart,” Smith said. “And that led us to seek a HUD grant for senior affordable housing.”
The group asked for $1 million but was pleasantly surprised when they were approved for the $1 million, but also received a $4.5 million tax credit to give them almost $6 million.
“We originally were hoping to build Salvation Manor with 16 units, but when we got that much money, we split the property into two parcels and built the two different senior units so we could help two different age groups of people in need,” Smith explained.
In 2004, Salvation Manor opened with 16 units, and right next door was St. Joe Estates with 84 units.
St. Joe Estates was created for those 55-and-older who had low income, then Salvation Manor was built for even lower income families or individuals who were 62-and-older.
“I love seniors. They have always had a special place in my heart, and maybe that’s why I loved the idea of building these homes for some people who had never lived in something so nice,” Smith said.
Not only was Smith one of the key leaders in the entire project, but he is the president of the non-profit board at Salvation Manor, and also serves as a board member for the St. Joe Estates non-profit board. Both groups operate with 100 percent volunteers, including himself even though he can be found there almost as if it is a full-time job.