McGill Help Provide Affordable Housing for Working Families
A Milestone for Murphy
Like many small towns across America, Murphy, North Carolina, has faced the pressing challenge of ensuring that its working families—teachers, firefighters, police officers, and other essential workers—have access to safe, affordable housing. For the first time in over 20 years, the town is celebrating a milestone: the opening of a new affordable housing development, Valley River Apartments, made possible through a partnership between McGill, the Town of Murphy, and other key partners with funding from the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), North Carolina Housing Finance Agency, North Carolina Department of Commerce, Dogwood Health Trust, and private investors.
Project Highlights
Valley River Apartments offers one-bedroom, two-bedroom, and three-bedroom apartments to qualified applicants earning between 40% and 60% of the area median income for the Town of Murphy at rates somewhere between $500 and 800 per month. These apartments have an energy efficient design, a community kitchen and community room, energy star appliances, and a computer lab. The complex offers much more than just a place to live. It cultivates a sense of community. The development includes 56 units, thoughtfully designed with families in mind. Residents can enjoy a picnic area, a playground, and open green space. The development’s location is within walking distance of two major supermarkets and a pharmacy, ensuring that residents’ daily needs are met.
McGill’s Role
McGill provided both grant application and grant administration services for the project. The Community Development Block Grant Neighborhood Revitalization (CDBG-NR) funding supported the extension of water, sewer, streets, pedestrian walkways, and drainage improvements, including a new pump station that benefits both the apartment complex and nearby retail plaza. This extension connected existing Town infrastructure to the new development. The Town of Murphy secured over $2,489,000 in CDBG-NR during the fall of 2021 and 2023. For the funding application, McGill helped the Town by partnering with the Western North Carolina Housing Partnership in project development and with the infrastructure extension grant application. Upon award, our team established its standard grant startup procedures to maintain files on-site and established processes for invoicing and reimbursement, quarterly and annual reports, monitoring reports, and closeout reports.
Community Impact and Benefits
The impact of Valley River Apartments extends far beyond its physical structures. By providing stable, affordable housing, this development helps ensure that working families can put down roots and thrive. The project is anticipated to bring positive economic and social benefits throughout the Town by supporting the local workforce and reinforcing community ties.
A Community Celebration
The Town of Murphy hosted a grand opening of Valley River Apartments. The celebration concluded with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, guided tours of the affordable housing complex, and a community lunch at the Murphy Fire Department. Karen Kiehna, McGill’s Client Relations Funding Representative, was acknowledged for her pivotal contribution in obtaining Community Development Block Grant – Neighborhood Revitalization (CDBG-NR) funding for the project. This funding was crucial in building the roads, sidewalks, and utility infrastructure needed to make the development operational and integrated into the community.
Valley River Apartments symbolizes Murphy’s dedication to supporting its workforce and fostering community stability by providing affordable housing options for essential workers. At the grand opening resident Kaylee, wife of a local police officer, shared her family’s excitement about securing an apartment at Valley River as they await their first child. If you or someone you know is looking for affordable housing, Valley River Apartments is currently taking applications for new residents.
Learn More About McGill’s Funding Work
We understand the critical need for grant funding to get projects off the ground. Through identification of needs, our staff supports numerous local governments and businesses in their efforts to explore and secure funding opportunities; this includes funding for infrastructure and public facilities, as well as land development and economic development projects. The McGill team has a wealth of experience in grant research, grant development, technical writing, and grant administration: including knowledge of federal, state, local, and foundation funding regulations, policies, procedures, reporting, and timelines. Our deep understanding of these regulations minimizes risk and accelerates project timelines. Learn more about McGill’s funding team and how they can help you fund your projects.
