CONTAIN YOURSELF. Containers Up, a Milwaukee company that repurposes shipping containers like this one, will partner with the City of Altoona to redevelop downtown properties. (Photo via Facebook)

Additional homeless shelter beds, more affordable housing, and downtown revitalization are the focus of more than $5 million in state Neighborhood Investment Fund grants announced Wednesday by Gov. Tony Evers.

The grants are part of nearly $650 million statewide as part of the program, which was launched last summer and uses funding from the American Rescue Plan Act, which was passed by Congress to aid in pandemic recovery.

“From expanding affordable housing options to strengthening infrastructure and revitalizing our main streets, this grant program was designed to connect the dots in our communities to ensure they recover and succeed for years to come,” Evers said in a media release.

In the Chippewa Valley, projects include:

• $1,377,435 to the City of Altoona “to redevelop two downtown properties into an office, restaurant, and retail incubator hub to bolster Altoona’s downtown and create a unique regional attraction for residents and visitors,” the governor’s office said. An announcement from the City of Altoona added that they plan “to partner with Containers Up, a Wisconsin-based contractor hard-hit by the pandemic, that specializes in creating unique buildings from refurbished shipping containers.” The properties on Division Street are described by the city as “blighted.”
• $2.5 million to the City of Eau Claire for two projects. First, $1 million will go to help develop 43 units of affordable housing as part of the Cannery Trail Residence Phase II, which will be a second portion of The Current apartment complex on Oxford Avenue in the downtown’s Cannery District. Second, $1.5 million will help expand Catholic Charities’ Sojourner House, 618 S. Barstow St., creating shelter for 28 more adults and youths without homes.
• $1,433,093 to the City of Menomonie to create a 20-bed shelter facility for the homeless.

Evers unveiled the regional grants during a visit to Rice Lake, where he also announced the City of Rice Lake will receive $3.2 million to upgrade its Main Street corridor.

Learn more about the Neighborhood Investment Fund Program on the state Department of Administration website.