Author: Dilia Ramirez

Undersecretary Gornstein Celebrates the Completion of Chapman Arms Development in Cambridge

Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) Undersecretary Aaron Gornstein today joined representatives of Homeowners Rehab Inc. (HRI), Cambridge City Manager Richard Rossi, state and local officials to celebrate the completion of the Chapman Arms development in Cambridge. Chapman Arms was the first project completed under Chapter 40T, an effort by the Patrick Administration and Legislature to preserve affordable housing across the Commonwealth.

“Chapman Arms is an important step toward preserving our supply of affordable housing for citizens in the Commonwealth through innovative regulatory changes, like 40T,” said Undersecretary Gornstein. “DHCD was pleased to assist with this development that not only maintains affordable housing opportunities in the vibrant Harvard Square neighborhood, but stimulates local economic activity as well. We congratulate Homeowners Rehab, Inc., CEDAC, the City of Cambridge and the local, state and federal officials who have helped make this project a reality.”
Chapman Arms is a 50-unit building located in the heart of Harvard Square. It consists of 25 family housing units for low-income households that were at risk of expiring affordability, 25 market rate units and nearly 10,000 square feet of commercial space. Chapman Arms was the first project to take advantage of the crucial right of first offer mechanism. DHCD designated HRI as the developer of this property to preserve its affordability for the long term. HRI worked with Harvard University, the City of Cambridge and the existing residents to acquire the building in December 2011. DHCD supported the project with over $2.2 million in DHCD housing subsidies and federal Low Income Housing Tax Credits to preserve 25 units of affordable family housing for low-income households.
“We were truly pleased to be involved with the first 40T project and even more so to have it result in such a big success,” said HRI Executive Director Peter Daly. “With Chapman Arms and the many preservation projects that have followed, it has been clearly demonstrated that preservation works in our state. Thanks to the resources we received from the state, the City of Cambridge and others, the residents of Chapman have benefited from much needed capital improvements to their homes.”

The Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation (CEDAC), a quasi-public agency affiliated with DHCD, celebrated with HRI and the City of Cambridge the inaugural use of the Massachusetts Preservation Loan Fund and Chapter 40T to acquire the building. The Massachusetts Preservation Loan Fund (MPLF) was created with funding from MacArthur Foundation and DHCD to provide early stage financing to non-profit housing developers to help preserve affordability on thousands of units across the Commonwealth. To date, CEDAC has committed almost $20 million in MPLF predevelopment and acquisition loans to 36 projects to preserve more than 3,600 units of affordable housing throughout the state.

“Chapman Arms is a prime example demonstrating the importance of Chapter 40T, Massachusetts’ innovative expiring use law,” said CEDAC Executive Director Roger Herzog. “Homeowner’s Rehab (HRI) purchased this 50 unit project in Harvard Square in December 2011 with an $8 million acquisition loan from CEDAC, the first such preservation purchase through Chapter 40T’s right-of-offer provision. With tremendous leadership and assistance from DHCD and the City of Cambridge, HRI has now completed the renovations that will ensure that Chapman Arms remains quality affordable housing for many years to come.”

Much of the Commonwealth’s stock of affordable housing units built in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s is facing the elimination of affordability restrictions when owners prepay their federally-subsidized mortgages, or opt out of their existing Section 8 rental subsidy contracts. In November 2009, Governor Deval Patrick signed “An Act Preserving Publicly Assisted Affordable Housing,” also known as 40T. This landmark legislation is helping preserve existing privately-owned affordable housing in Massachusetts. The legislation establishes notification provisions for tenants, a right of offer and right of first refusal for DHCD or its designee to purchase publicly assisted housing and modest tenant protections for projects with affordability restrictions that terminate. Chapter 40T has helped to preserve affordability in communities across the state, ensuring that families are able to stay in their homes and neighborhoods.

Because of Chapter 40T, since 2009, no project has lost affordability as a result of sale. Further, with the use of state resources, DHCD has helped to preserve more than 14,000 affordable units that were close to losing that status. DHCD has also processed 40T notices for 240 affordable housing projects with over 25,000 units of housing.

Overall, more than 130 affordable housing projects with 18,000 housing units have been preserved with state resources since 2007. An additional 12,000 housing units have been preserved through long-term Section 8 contract renewals through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) without state resources since 2007.

In addition to Chapman Arms, CEDAC worked with Just-A-Start Corporation to preserve the Bishop Allen Apartments in Cambridge and Preservation of Affordable Housing (POAH) in Boston to maintain affordability in six buildings across the Commonwealth. With these three initiatives alone, almost 1,000 affordable units were saved in some of the most expensive markets of the state.

“I am pleased to see that affordable housing will be preserved in Cambridge,” said Senator Sal DiDomenico. “It is important that low and middle-income families have opportunities to remain in the communities where they are from, and not to be displaced due to the rising cost of housing. The completion of the Chapman Arms development is a great step forward in ensuring widespread preservation of affordable housing throughout the Commonwealth.”

The Patrick Administration is dedicated to preserving and creating affordable housing throughout Massachusetts. Since 2007, the Administration has invested over $1 billion in state and federal resources to create 24,000 units of housing, of which approximately 22,000 are affordable. In Cambridge, since 2007, DHCD has invested more than $35 million to preserve or create 724 units of housing, 668 of which are affordable. Under the leadership of DHCD, the Administration created the Preservation Advisory Committee, which includes representatives of developers and owners, tenants, public agencies and other stakeholders, as well as the Preservation Interagency Working Group that includes state housing agencies and HUD regional staff.
“This is a great example of a successful public private partnership where residents helped lead the charge,” said Representative Marjorie Decker. “I am honored to have had the chance to help facilitate this important outcome providing security and affordability to Cambridge residents.”

One of DHCD’s quasi-public partners, CEDAC maintains a complete database of the privately-owned stock of publicly assisted affordable housing on in collaboration with DHCD and Massachusetts public lenders. This database now tracks over 1,500 projects with 134,000 housing units. CEDAC was created in 1978 to serve as a vital resource for organizations engaged in community economic development. CEDAC is a public-private, community development finance institution that provides technical assistance, pre-development lending and consulting services to non-profit organizations involved in housing development, workforce development, neighborhood economic development and capital improvements to child care facilities. CEDAC works with its state partners to focus resources in support of the non-profit development system for production of affordable housing. CEDAC is also active in national housing preservation policy research and development and is widely recognized as a leader in the non-profit community development industry.

SourceCommonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Department Office of Housing and Economic Development

NeighborWorks Southern Mass. Launches Campaign To Combat Homelessness Among Vets

NeighborWorks Southern Mass. yesterday unveiled a new fundraising initiative to support construction of new homes for returning veterans and their families.
The Home Sweet Home for Veterans campaign will help fund the construction of 12 new homes the organization has begun building on East Howard St. in Quincy. The homes will be rented to returning veterans and their families.
The announcement was made at a Veterans’ Day-themed breakfast at the Inn at Bay Pointe.
“No one that has ever worn the uniform of this great nation should struggle to find a roof over their head … By maximizing our state, local and private resources we are able to conceive projects like this that will ensure Massachusetts continues to lead the way and becomes the first state in the nation to end veterans’ homelessness,” State Secretary of Veterans’ Services Coleman Nee said in a statement.
Forty percent of all homeless men are veterans, and during any given year, 400,000 veterans experience homelessness, according to the National Coalition for the Homeless.
“Today’s returning veterans have different needs than previous generations,” NeighborWorks Southern Mass. Executive Director Robert Corley said in a statement. “Many are older and have families, making it even harder to find a safe, affordable place to call home.”
NeighborWorks Southern Mass. plans to leverage $80,000 in state tax credits the agency received through the state Community Investment Tax Credit Program to jumpstart the campaign. Through that program, individuals or businesses that contribute $1,000 or more to the organization will receive a 50 percent state income tax credit plus an additional charitable deduction on their federal tax return.
NeighborWorks Southern Mass.’s work on veterans housing issues dates back to 1996. Since 2012, the agency has built or renovated four homes on the South Shore for veterans’ and their families

SourceBanker & Tradesman

Details emerge in two projects that will change the face of Pleasant Street; Planning Board to take

The first of two significant projects that will change the look of Pleasant Street is set to come before the Planning Board Thursday night, an estimated $20 million development that will involve razing Northampton Lodging and building a 72-unit apartment complex in its place.
HAPHousing expects to close on a deal early next year to buy Northampton Lodging at 129 Pleasant St., a longtime single-room-occupancy building consisting of 58 units. The Springfield organization that develops and manages affordable housing complexes throughout the region is floating plans to construct a five-story, 65,000-square-foot apartment building at the site.
The building will include a combination of studio and one-bedroom apartments, with 48 designated as affordable and 24 as market rate. Another 3,500 square feet of space on the ground floor facing Pleasant Street will be leased for retail purposes.
“We’re excited about the property. It’s a significant project for us,” said Victoria DellaSperanza, HAP’s chief resource development officer.
HAP will formally present its plans Thursday at 7:35 p.m. before a joint public hearing of the Planning Board and Central Business Architecture Committee in the council chambers of the Puchalski Municipal Building.
The project needs a special permit and site plan approval to move ahead, though construction is not expected to begin until financing can be secured from multiple sources sometime next year, DellaSperanza said. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2016 and will take slightly more than a year to complete, she said.
Meantime, another affordable housing project is in the works for the old Northampton Lumber site to the south and on the other side of Pleasant Street. Valley Community Development Corp. is buying the 1.23-acre site at 256 Pleasant St. and intends to build an apartment building with between 50 and 60 one-, two- or three-bedroom units, with retail space on the first level. All of the units will be affordable, with the majority being earmarked for people earning $30,000 a year for an individual and $50,000 annually for families.
Both projects are expected to advance the city’s long-term desire to add to its affordable housing stock, especially for people in the middle income levels. Several housing studies in recent years, starting with the Sustainable Northampton Plan (2008-2028), a 2011 Housing Strategic Plan and a 2013 Market Assessment, have pointed to the low rental vacancy rates and called for more rental housing and the development of smaller homes.
“This project will help the existing population and fit in with the city’s larger residential goals,” said Peter Serafino, HAP’s project manager.
HAP project
Once complete, HAP’s so-called Live 155 project on Pleasant Street will be among the organization’s largest, though a similar-sized development is in the works for Holyoke. The building’s address will be 155 Pleasant St.
After it purchases Northampton Lodging, HAP intends to manage it until financing is secured and enough time is given to relocate residents now living there before beginning work, according to DellaSperanza and Serafino.
Tenants will be temporarily relocated to similar-sized apartments in Northampton and nearby communities, with HAP paying for moving expenses, rent differential and more. Tenants who qualify will be offered apartments in the new building at the same rent they paid at the time of their relocation. Those who move in after HAP acquires the property, however, will not be eligible to receive relocation benefits.
“We will help the folks who are there now move to other, appropriate housing,” DellaSperanza said. “They will pay an equal amount to what they are paying now.”
DellaSperanza said HAP’s mission is to make housing accessible and affordable for as many people as possible, but also to run a number of programs designed to get people into permanent housing. To that end, tenants in the new building will have access to a number of HAP programs such as job training, counseling and assistance with outside programs.
The organization intends to hire a full-time property manager for at least the first year and a part-time residence services coordinator after that. Serafino said HAP will work with local social service providers to understand the needs of current Northampton Lodging tenants, half of whom have lived there for a number of years while the rest tend to come and go.
“Whatever the needs, we’re going to try and access the services so when they do come back, we want to be able to provide those services,” Serafino said.
HAP intends to finance the project through a combination of sources, including low-income tax credits from the state and bank loans. The organization intends to submit an application to the state Department of Housing and Community Development for the tax credits early next year.
HAP plans to tear down the existing three-story, 11,700-square-foot building, which was built in 1967 as a dormitory for the now-defunct Northampton Commercial College. The new building will include five floors fronting Pleasant Street, including retail space on the main floor with room for between one and three businesses, depending on the tenant secured, and apartments on the upper four floors. The studio apartments will have about 480 square feet of space, while the one-bedroom units will have 600 square feet, Serafino said.
The building will also include flexible spaces on each floor that tenants can use for meetings, parties and other gatherings of between two and eight people.
The site is next to the Manhan Rail Trail, across the street from the new platform for Amtrak’s high-speed passenger rail service, and a Pioneer Valley Transit Authority bus stop.
“The location itself is a real amenity,” Serafino said.
Plans also call for a public-private “pocket” plaza to be constructed at the back of the property next to the rail trail that will provide access to the apartments but also allow for public use. Another area of open space toward the front is envisioned as a “artlet,” or space where art can be displayed.
Meanwhile, about a year ago, the Valley CDC received a $1.1 million loan from the Community Economic Development Assistance Corp., a state development finance institution, to help it acquire the former lumberyard that closed last year.
If successful in its plans, the organization would add to its recent development of affordable rental and ownership housing in its four-community territory of Northampton, Amherst, Easthampton and Hadley. Since its inception, the organization has produced 180 such units and is currently building a 38-unit family rental housing project in Easthampton called Parsons Village.

SourceDaily Hampshire Gazette

Two Veterans homes open in Chelmsford, Westford

Dickie O’Neil served his country and his town for many years, and Wednesday, Chelmsford gave back to him and his fellow veterans.
The Richard P. O’Neil Housing for Veterans on Manahan Street in Chelmsford was one of two new veterans’ housing developments that opened Wednesday morning thanks to the Chelmsford Housing Authority, its nonprofit affiliate CHOICE Inc. and several other community, state and federal partners.
O’Neil grew up in Chelmsford and served in the Air Force from 1957 to 1961 before returning to town. He was a Chelmsford firefighter for 27 years and worked for the CHA for another 28, first as a maintenance worker and then as supervisor of maintenance, before retiring in 2010.
“It’s such an honor to be in this new veterans’ home with my name on it,” said O’Neil, 75. “It’s not every day that a person gets a building named after them.”
CHA Executive Director David Hedison said the idea for creating local veterans’ housing came about five years ago during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, when housing authority officials heard there was going to be a great need for permanent housing options for returning veterans.
“We have lost people in war, we have lost people who returned from war, and we made a decision that we wanted to provide our veterans with a safe, affordable place to call home and receive services,” he said.
Both Chelmsford and Westford met the idea with incredible community support, Hedison said.
The Chelmsford development, which features eight fully furnished studio apartments, cost $2.15 million.
The Westford Home for Veterans, on Carlisle Road and which features five family housing units cost $2.4 million. The funding for both projects included a mix of local, state and private dollars, with the vast majority coming from state sources.
Both will offer a variety of supportive services via the Veterans Northeast Outreach Center, according to CHOICE, Inc. Executive Director Connie Donahue-Comtois.
She said all the units have already been filled through a lottery, and the veterans will be moving in early next month.
“We’re going to help stabilize them, we’re going to help get them readjusted, back into a community where they live and hopefully this will be the start of some more projects to help us end the scourge that is veterans’ homelessness,” said state Secretary of Veterans’ Services Coleman Nee.
State Undersecretary for Housing and Community Development Aaron Gornstein said Gov. Deval Patrick released a plan in 2013 to address veteran homelessness with a goal creating 250 housing units for veterans over a three-year period. That goal was exceeded about a year and a half early, he said, with about 370 units of permanent affordable housing for veterans already created.
U.S. Rep. Niki Tsongas said she was happy to see the community address the homelessness that too many veterans find themselves in “as a result of the wounds of war.”
Other speakers at the events included Chelmsford Town Manager Paul Cohen, Chelmsford Selectmen Chairwoman Pat Wojtas, Westford Town Manager Jodi Ross, state Sen. Eileen Donoghue, Tom Lyons of MassHousing, Ryan Dunn of Enterprise Bank, Roger Herzog of Community Economic Development Assistance Corp., Michael Rayder of TD Charitable Foundation and Mary Ellen Jutras of Federal Home Loan Bank

SourceLowell Sun

Ludlow selectmen pleased that Stevens Memorial Senior Housing is now open

Selectmen say they are pleased that the newly renovated HAPHousing’s Sevens Memorial Housing project for senior citizens is now open.

“This is a welcome addition to the town,” said Selectman William Rooney.

Located in the center of Ludlow, the Stevens Memorial Senior Housing offers 28 affordable rental apartments for senior citizens, ages 62 and older, in the newly-renovated historic building.

The Stevens Memorial Building was built in 1906 by the Ludlow Manufacturing Co. as a recreation facility for its employees. It was acquired by the town of Ludlow in 1949 and operated as the Ludlow Boys & Girls Club until 2005.

Stevens Memorial Senior Housing was made possible by funds provided by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development, MassHousing and the Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation.

Rooney said selectmen were frustrated with the slow pace of the building, but are very happy that it is now open.

“The building is impressive and the integrity of the building has been maintained,” Rooney said.

SourceThe Republican - MassLive

Cape’s Largest Affordable Housing Community Receives $12M From MassHousing

Mashpee Village, an affordable housing community on Cape Cod, is undergoing a final phase of renovations after receiving $12.1 million in MassHousing loans.
Mashpee Village is owned by The Community Builders (TCB) of Boston. TCB is using the MassHousing financing to complete a second and final phase of renovations to the property, including the construction of a new wastewater treatment plant to replace the original septic systems installed nearly 40 years ago.
“Mashpee Village is the largest affordable housing community on the Cape, and this financing is going to restore the property to prime conditions for the families that live there,” MassHousing Executive Director Thomas R. Gleason said in a statement. “We’re pleased to be a partner with The Community Builders in renovating this very valuable affordable housing resource on Cape Cod.”
Mashpee Village was built in 1974 and is comprised of 35 single family apartment homes and 110 apartments in 14 garden-style, wood-frame buildings located at 1 Wampanoag Drive. In 2009, TCB completed renovations to the 35 single-family units and to the exterior of the multifamily buildings.
The recent MassHousing loan closings will finance the final phase of renovations to the 14 multifamily buildings containing the 110 apartments and for the construction of the wastewater treatment plant. Planned renovations include replacement of kitchens and bathrooms, unit accessibility upgrades, installation of new roofs and sprinkler systems, enhanced landscaping and walkways and street and parking lot repaving.
The contractor is Delphi Construction. The architect is Winslow Architects Inc. and the management agent is TCB.

SourceBanker & Tradesman

Capital Funds Available for Nonprofit Child Care Providers

The Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care (EEC) has released the application and guidelines for nonprofit child care providers interested in submitting applications to the newly-established Early Education and Out of School Time (EEOST) Capital Fund Program. The program will be administered through the Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation (CEDAC) in conjunction with its affiliate organization, the Children’s Investment Fund. Interested organizations can access the application and information about the program at the Department of Early Education and Care’s Web site. The process for providers to receive the funds will be competitive.
“The EEOST program was established as a resource for non-profit, center-based providers in Massachusetts that want to make significant improvements to the buildings where their programs operate,” said Mav Pardee, Program Manager for the Children’s Investment Fund. “We are pleased work with EEC to support quality improvement efforts that include the physical environment.”
The Early Education and Out of School Time Capital Fund Program was established in the 2013 Housing Bond Bill passed by the legislature and signed by Governor Patrick. The legislation included capital bond financing to authorize $45 million to upgrade early childhood education (ECE) and out-of-school time (OST) facilities that serve children living in low-income communities across the Commonwealth. The state allocated $4 million for FY2014, the first year of the program and a second allocation of $4 million for FY2015. The legislation marked the first time in the nation that facilities financing for nonprofit child care providers have been included in community development legislation.
“CEDAC is pleased once again to help the nonprofit, community-based organizations who are working to help strengthen neighborhoods across Massachusetts,” said Roger Herzog, CEDAC’s Executive Director. “As with our support of affordable housing development and the workforce development community, CEDAC’s ability to provide technical assistance as well as capital funds is invaluable to child care providers as they turn their vision of a high quality facility into a reality.

SourceRevere Journal

Ribbon Cutting this morning for HAPHousing’s Stevens Memoiral Senior Housing on Chestnut Street in L

A ribbon cutting and grand opening will be held this morning at 10 a.m. at the newly renovated HAPHousing’s Stevens Memorial Senior Housing at 12 Chestnut Street.
Located in the center of Ludlow, the Stevens Memorial Senior Housing offers 28 affordable rental apartments for seniors citizens, ages 62 and older, in the newly-renovated historic building.
The facility now includes community and activity rooms, a laundry room and four fully handicapped-accessible apartments. HAPHousing has made all apartments energy efficient, including the replacement of original windows with energy efficient windows.
A tenant selection lottery was held in July, and initial occupancy is scheduled for October.
HAPHousing served as developer for the $7.4 million conversion of the historic brick building and is managing the 28-rental apartment community for senior citizens. The nonprofit organization acquired the Stevens Memorial Building from the town of Ludlow in August 2013 and began construction in September 2013.
The Stevens Memorial Building was built in 1906 by the Ludlow Manufacturing Co. as a recreation facility for its employees. It was acquired by the town of Ludlow in 1949 and operated as the Ludlow Boys & Girls Club until 2005.
HAPHousing Executive Director Peter Gagliardi said, “It is gratifying to see this historic building come to life while providing the much needed additional affordable housing to serve seniors in this community.”
Stevens Memorial Senior Housing was made possible by funds provided by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development, MassHousing and the Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation.
Studio One of Springfield served as architect for the project. Lupachino & Salvatore Inc. of Bloomfield, Conn., served as general contractor.
HAPHousing provides a broad range of housing services to meet the needs of low and moderate-income households and is the region’s largest nonprofit developer of affordable housing.
Speakers this morning will include U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, D-Springfield, state Sen. Gale Candaras, D-Wilbraham, and state Rep. Thomas Petrolati, C-Ludlow, as well as Manuel Silva, chairman of the Board of Selectmen, Maurice Barry, director of project management for the U.?S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and Thomas Gleason, executive director of MassHousing

SourceThe Republican - MassLive

Tremont Village Undergoes Renovation

The sound of a man speaking through a microphone emanated from a parking lot at the corner of Tremont and Jefferson streets on Monday, Sept. 15, at the celebration party announcing the renovations at Tremont Village began.
Behind the speaker sat state officials and private bankers from Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation, Massachusetts Housing Investment Corporation, and Boston Private Bank and Trust. They sat in front of Tremont Village Apartments, a squat red brick structure with beige balconies and old fashioned air conditioners. Garbage bags covered the inside of some of the apartment’s windows and a small alleyway, or backyard area, collected garbage behind the building. At the end of the man’s speech there was a cheer from a crowd of about thirty.
The Tremont Village Apartments received the much needed attention from the Asian Community Development Corporation, who spearheaded the search for funding, eventually connecting with Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation, Massachusetts Housing Investment Corporation, and Boston Private Bank and Trust.
The 20-unit state-owned affordable housing building, which was constructed in 1987, will undergo its first renovation beginning in October and scheduled to last about a year. The construction, handled by Page Building Construction Co, is planned to happen in phases, the building dissected into four parts, each section emptied of its occupants, who will be housed at hotels in other areas of the city for two to three weeks before returning to the apartments. “It’s a challenge working on an occupied building and it’s in tough shape.” Herb Pitts, the project manager at Page, said. “We’re really interested in getting it going,”
Eric Taelen, a property manager at Maloney Properties, the firm that has managed the issues at Tremont since August, was also excited “It just needs a full upgrade,” he said. “With new fixtures, lighting, we won’t get called out as often.” Renovations also plan to update the sprinkler system as well as convert the nearly 30-year-old structure to green energy.
For a young man named Will, 21, the renovations were a long time coming. “I’ve lived here all my life,” he said. “We heard something would happen a while back, but nothing really happened. We were hoping something would happen this time.”
Jeff Wong , 70, a senior board member at Asian Community Development Corporation, sees the renovations as a new step for the ACDC. “This is ACDC’s first renovation building.” he said. “I’m just eager to see it done, eager to see all the tenants be happy about it. There’s nothing better than seeing a happy tenant”

SourceSampan

New Hope 2 gives new life to historic home

Following years of uncertainty and jumps in ownership, the old historic Red Cross building at 391 Pawtucket St. found new life on Thursday, opening as the House of Hope’s latest housing addition for seven families.
The $1.2 million “New Hope 2” project, funded with the help of the state, is the nonprofit’s fourth permanent housing building in the city. Tenants will receive Section 8 housing subsidies through the Lowell Housing Authority, along with support services from House of Hope.
These services include help finding employment or child daycare. Aaron Gornstein, head of the state’s Department of Housing and Community Development, noted the project’s combination of housing with such services.
“I think what’s significant about this is that it’s part of a permanent solution to ending homelessness,” he said.
The lot next to the historic Spalding House reached its final fate after years of conservation effort. Originally built in 1860, the house sits along the Pawtucket Falls and was originally part of the 10-acre Spalding House property.
Capt. John Ford, who owned the Spalding House from 1777 to 1789, sold it and later moved next to the current site. The land later became the home of the American Red Cross until its departure in 2003.
The Lowell Parks and Conservation Trust acquired the property in 2004, a move aimed to preserve the trust’s neighboring Spalding House that left it $1 million in debt.
But through former U.S. Rep. Marty Meehan’s office, the trust received a $1 million federal transportation earmark for the project.
“We do now have a brand new city park behind us, we have a fabulous neighbor,” said Parks and Conservation Trust Executive Director Jane Calvin, reflecting on the changes that occurred over the years.
“Forever and ever, though, this will be my million-dollar acre.”
The city later took over and transferred the property to Community Teamwork, Inc. Will Soucy, president of Soucy Industries in Pelham, bought the property in 2012 and did all the restorative work on the house and its backyard garage, both painted in a joyful light green.
The Franklin Square House Foundation also gave money to House of Hope to convert the house’s third floor into a three-bedroom unit, as well as make one of the units handicap-accesible.
Two modern family units are on each of the first two floors of the house, with one family on the third floor. In the old garage, a handicap-accessible unit features a kitchen, bathroom and two bedrooms just overlooking the water.
Maria Maldonado, a tenant living on the third floor of the house with her family, said she never thought she would have this blessing.
“It’s a dream come true because this brings stability to my family, to my children,” she said.

SourceLowell Sun