Construction to begin on Tenderloin center

From today's SFGate,

The Salvation Army will begin building an $80 million community center and affordable housing complex in the Tenderloin next week that is expected to house at least 113 people and serve more than 2,000 youths and senior citizens.

The centerpiece of the complex, at Jones and Turk streets, will be the community center for young and elderly people. Among its features will be nutritional programs, a dance studio, a gymnasium and a swimming pool.

The center is being created with $54 million donated from the estate of Joan Kroc, wife of the founder of the McDonald's hamburger chain. Half that money is being used to erect the building, and the other half will provide an endowment for services, Salvation Army spokeswoman Jennifer Byrd said Tuesday.

A separate pool of $26 million from a variety of sources will fund the 113-unit housing development. Those sources include the state Department of Housing and Community Development and $8.6 million in donations that the Salvation Army is in the process of raising.

The units will be rented to youths leaving the foster care system and adults in substance abuse recovery.

The project is expected to be completed in July 2008.