Somerville’s St. Polycarp Village wins ‘Door Knocker Award’
By Anonymous
Somerville — Three affordable housing developments built in Massachusetts have received the prestigious Door Knocker Awards from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
The award-winning developments were Gordon H. Mansfield Veterans Community Village in Pittsfield, St. Polycarp Village Apartments in Somerville, and Worthington Commons in Springfield. The first two are CEDAC-funded projects.
Each project was chosen based on their outstanding work in producing affordable housing, specifically their contribution to creating stable living environments for those with disabilities, providing rental assistance to homeless veterans, and developing innovative housing solutions for specific communities. All three projects received federal HOME and other funding resources administered by the Massachusetts Department of Housing & Community Development (DHCD). Two of the developments were partially financed by the Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation (CEDAC) – a private-public community development finance institution.
With the Door Knocker Awards, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development recognized 14 state and local governments from across the country for their efforts to create affordable housing for low income neighborhoods. Three Massachusetts-based projects were among the 14 winners. The developments were honored for promoting long-term affordability, reaching underserved populations, and producing sustainable housing. Additionally, five Massachusetts affordable housing initiatives received honorable mentions.
“We are honored to have so many of our projects receive federal recognition,” said Roger Herzog, executive director of CEDAC. “We work with non-profit developers early in the process and it is always extremely fulfilling to see these projects come to fruition. But in particular, it is gratifying to see HUD honoring organizations that are contributing so much to their communities.”
Envisioned by non-profit developer Soldier On as a national model to provide homeless veterans with permanent housing solutions, the Gordon H. Mansfield Community Village in Pittsfield is a new construction limited equity cooperative that serves formerly homeless veterans. The development, completed in February 2011, provides 39 units of housing for veterans who have completed transitional programs and are ready to move into permanent supportive housing.
The St. Polycarp Village Apartments, a new construction rental project, was developed by the Somerville Community Corporation to bring affordable housing to the 3.5 acre site of a closed former Catholic parish in the city of Somerville. Phase I of the project, which received a LEED Silver Rating for its energy efficient features, introduced 24 units into the community. Phase II, which recently celebrated its groundbreaking signifying the start of construction, includes the development of an additional 29 affordable rental units in three buildings around a courtyard. Site amenities include open space, a playground, and a community room. A third phase is planned that will complete the development of the site, and provide an additional 31 affordable rental units.
Worthington Commons involves the preservation of existing affordable housing in need of physical rehabilitation of more than a hundred units in 10 buildings and constructing 38 new apartment homes in previously vacant buildings. The development was financed by the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development along with other state agencies and the City of Springfield.
Four CEDAC-funded development projects – Thankful Chase Pathway in Harwich, the Visiting Nurses Senior Living Community in Somerville, Trolley Square in Cambridge and Blessed Sacrament in Jamaica Plain – received honorable mentions, along with the Building Capacity of Community Housing Organizations partnership between DHCD and CEDAC. HUD evaluated projects based on the organization’s work in four categories: Promoting Long-Term Affordability, Reaching Underserved Populations, Producing Sustainable Housing, and Building CHDO Capacity.
The Door Knocker Awards are part of HUD’s HOME Investment Partnerships Program, the largest Federal block grant designed to create affordable housing for low- and very low-income households. In its 20th year, HOME has produced more than one million units of affordable housing through the U.S. DHCD receives an annual allocation of $13-16 million in HOME funds, and this program has supported 644 Massachusetts projects with 21,000 affordable units.
Copyright 2011 Somerville Journal.
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