ROXBURY -- A lack of government funding has forced an archdiocesan housing project in Roxbury to scale back its plans, prompting concern and frustration from the community.

Drexel Village, a planned 217-unit affordable housing development, which would surround the St. Katharine Drexel Parish Center on Ruggles Street, was first conceived in 2018. It is a project of the Planning Office for Urban Affairs (POUA), the Archdiocese of Boston's affordable housing ministry. The original plan was for Drexel Village to have 11 affordable homeownership units. During a project update at the parish center on March 25, POUA President Bill Grogan explained that the homeownership units would have to become rental units for the project to continue.

"I think we all recognize the important role that homeownership housing plays in our communities, both in terms of allowing people to establish roots in the community, allowing people to build wealth and income," Grogan said.

For the 11 units planned for Drexel Village, POUA would need $3.85 million in state and city funding. MassHousing's CommonWealth Builder Program, which provides funding for affordable homeownership housing, "doesn't have additional resources right now," Grogan said. Therefore, he said, the planned homeownership units have become rental units, "and that's what we've done so that we can continue to apply for resources at the state and the city level."

He said that, depending on how much financing POUA receives, this may change. However, the Trump administration's federal funding cuts have severely curtailed the resources available to projects like Drexel Village.

"This has had a trickle-down effect on state budgets and state appropriation dollars, as well," Grogan said.

Drexel Village was also originally supposed to have 54 underground parking spaces, but this plan would have cost $5.5 million, or $100,000 per space. To keep the project financially feasible, there will now be fewer than 30 spaces. High construction costs and interest rates have also presented a challenge.

"Big picture, we'd be looking at securing all our funding by the spring/ summer of next year, and that would put us to be able to start construction in 2028," Grogan told a concerned parishioner.

The next year will be crucial for the future of Drexel Village. The parish plans to appeal to elected officials for more funding. State Sen. Liz Miranda and State Rep. Chynah Tyler have been working on POUA's behalf.

"It's state resources that is going to make a difference, and the state delegation is the first place to start with that," Grogan said.

POUA has been exploring other funding options and is continuing to lobby the state and city to finance the project. So far, the City of Boston has funded 139 of Drexel Village's 217 units. POUA will apply for funding for the remaining units this September.

"We look forward to hopefully working together collectively to make sure that our voices are heard," Grogan said.

St. Katharine Drexel parishioner Jumaada Smith said that the "most beautiful and important" parts of Drexel Village were the opportunities for homeownership and the availability of underground parking.

"I don't care what we do, we have to do something about it," she said.

Antoinette McLean Leoney asked whether the people of St. Katharine Drexel wanted to cut their nose to spite their face by not supporting an all-rental project.

"It's been eight years, as we know," she said, "We had a vision. I would really hate to see this project not go forward, even without the homeownership. There is a lot of housing that could go up."

Father Oscar Pratt, pastor of St. Katharine Drexel, said that their parish's namesake was a woman who faced setbacks but "didn't take no for an answer." He said that the missions she established in Black and Native American communities would not have existed if she had given up easily.

"There are so many people who need to see us step up and prove Mother Katharine right," he said.