Two Bend low-income housing communities will soon be made over, inside and out, thanks to a project organized by the Central Oregon Regional Housing Authority.

The housing authority plans to issue $7 million in bonds that will partially fund an $11.5 million project to purchase and update Ariel Glen Apartments and Healy Heights Apartments, according to Executive Director Thomas Kemper.

The remaining $4.5 million will be obtained through a combination of tax credits and money provided by the Central Oregon Regional Housing Authority.

“We’re going to re-skin Ariel Glen on the outside; it will get new siding, new windows and a new roof,” Kemper said. “Healy Heights was re-skinned about five years ago. Both communities will get new cabinetry and flooring inside, and we’re adding air conditioning to all the units in both communities.”

Kemper said they’d hoped to close on the deal in December, but said the government shutdown and subsequent closing of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development — the government agency that oversees low-income housing projects — delayed the process.

Kemper said they will likely close on the deal in January.

“The housing authority in Central Oregon has been a leader across the state,” said Deschutes County Commission Chair Alan Unger. “Refurbishing these apartment complexes means that they will be able to continue to provide quality housing to low-income clients for decades into the future.”

Both 70-unit communities are located on Bend’s east side, south of Pilot Butte, and were originally built in 1994.

The apartments at each complex are in separate buildings of about seven units each, Kemper said. During construction, residents are temporarily relocated to hotels, which the housing authority pays for.

“They have to pack up all their belongings, and we move those into pods for storage,” Kemper said. “We move the families out on a Monday morning and bring them back Friday. It’s a highly orchestrated venture that we’ve been working on for 10 months.”

Portland-based LMC Construction will be the contractor on the project. The company was the contractor on two similar projects with the housing authority, Kemper said.

The construction will be completed building by building and is expected to take several weeks.

“The residents have to pack up and move,” Kemper said. “But they effectively move back into a new unit with air conditioning, so they love it.”

The refurbishing will not change income requirements or rental rates, Kemper said.

Currently, to qualify for housing at Ariel Glen, a family of two must have an annual income that does not exceed $26,500. A two bedroom apartment costs between $575 and $625 per month.