BATON ROUGE - Several properties in Mid City are being given a second chance. An investment group is renovating them and will rent them out once they're completed.

The properties have been vacant, but soon they'll see new life and undergo a full rehab. The Gulf Coast Housing Partnership and CEO Kathy Laborde says they will provide anything that's needed to fix up the properties and recapitalize the area that's spent years in disinvestment.

"And it's our job to maintain them as well, whether we're the property manager or somebody else is," Laborde said.

It's yet another investment for the partnership in the Baton Rouge area. The Lotus Village community opened this week. More than 100 residential homes were constructed for the needs of seniors.

"We care about people, we value people, folks, we want them to live in better quality living conditions when we can," Laborde said.

It's an investment that takes time and money. The total development cost for the "Government Corridor" project is about $8.5 million. There are 31 properties, 34 units total, on both sides of Government Street. The properties are scattered along Brice, America, Cork, Lavinia, Jura, and Delphine Streets. Laborde hopes that others will see what they're doing and take note.

"When people see things they believe it," Laborde said. "When people are entrepreneurial, they'll see what we're doing, and they'll figure out how they can make money renovating houses."

The rehab of the buildings involve exterior and interior work including new bathrooms, windows, HVAC, and appliances. It will be the seventeenth project for the Gulf Coast Housing Partnership in the Baton Rouge area.

The work is expected to start this week and should be completed within 12 months. The properties will be rented out as they become available.