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Demolition Begins For Affordable Housing Project In Winston-Salem

The view looking out from the former Budget Inn in Winston-Salem. The location will be the site of 72 affordable housing units. Image courtesy: The Shalom Project

The former Budget Inn motel outside of downtown Winston-Salem on the corner of Peters Creek Parkway and W. Academy Street will soon be the site of 72 new affordable housing units.

The project is the work of the Peters Creek Community Initiative which is part of The Shalom Project, a nonprofit that works to alleviate poverty.

Eileen Ayuso is the executive director of the organization. She says to purchase and demolish the $1.2 million site, they received a $600 thousand grant from the City of Winston-Salem, $300 thousand in funds from a private foundation, and negotiated a $600 thousand loan from Forsyth County.

“We'll work towards paying that back as the project potentially makes money down the road," she says. "The other thing that we had to commit to for the county, and I think it's not a bad thing, is that it would remain affordable housing for 50 years."

Ayuso says once demolition is complete, they'll begin working on financing and raising funds for construction. The project is estimated to cost $10 million. The hope is for the housing units to be completed by 2021.     

Bethany is WFDD's editorial director. She joined the staff in the fall of 2012. She received her B.A. and M.A. in English Literature from Wake Forest University. Between undergraduate studies and graduate school, Bethany served as the intern to Talk of the Nation at NPR in D.C., participating in live NPR Election Night Coverage, Presidential debate broadcasts, regular Talk of the Nation shows, and helping to plan the inaugural broadcast of ‘Talk of the World.' She enjoys engaging with her interests in books, politics, and art in the interdisciplinary world of public radio. Before becoming editorial director, Bethany was assistant news Director, a reporter and associate producer for WFDD's Triad Arts and Triad Arts Weekend. Originally from Jacksonville, Florida, Bethany enjoys calling the Piedmont home.

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