A 60-unit affordable housing complex on Buffalo's East Side was unveiled Wednesday afternoon as families began to move into the Dodge Street complex.
St. Martin Village was a $16 million project that transformed the former German Catholic Orphanage which had been vacant for over 30-years.
Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown said the new housing will help meet one of the city's greatest needs.
"We've worked hard to send a message that we want all people to have a place to live that's decent, that's clean, that's affordable in the city of Buffalo - and this does that in a major way," said Mayor Brown.
The Mayor said looks very different from it's scarred past.
"So what you see here now was vacant for more than thirty years - an eyesore on the community, rat-infested, a place of fear and despair in the community. Now it is a place of hope and opportunity," said Mayor Brown.
60-apartments and town houses were developed on the site in addition to a community center and playground.