$100M housing transformation project coming to Main, North Pearl

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WVB) — A new $100 million affordable housing transformation project is coming to Main Street and North Pearl thanks to help from the Erie County Salvation Army.

The first phase of the project was launched on Wednesday.

The affordable housing will be made available to those who are in the 60 to 70 percent of the area’s median income, people with lower-paying jobs, people who are aging and transitioning out of foster care and those with mental health issues.

There will be a seven-story apartment complex at the Salvation Army’s current campus on Main Street, and then 17 individual townhomes on North Pearl. In total, it will make for nearly 160 affordable housing units.

“When we say we’ve got a bed for you, we’ve got three meals for your family today, we have permanent housing available and we can help you get there, that is hope and we can help you get there,” said Salvation Army Erie County Director of Operations Annette Lock. “That is hope and that makes all the difference of where people go in life.”

They’ve raised enough money to renovate a building on their campus this summer for their emergency family services. The next phase entails demolishing the current emergency services building and building affordable apartments and townhouses.

“Homelessness is at an all time high in our community right now, and a lot of it due to the housing market and the increase in rent and a lot post-COVID and people suffering from instability,” said Salvation Army Director of Residential Services Mia Clark.

The third and final phase will be to build a new community and worship center on Buffalo’s East Side. There is no timeline on when the entire project will be completed, as they continue to collect the necessary funds.

To donate and to find more information about the project, click here.

Hope Winter is a reporter and multimedia journalist who has been part of the News 4 team since 2021. See more of her work here .