Category: CEDAC

Six housing programs get funding

Six housing programs get funding
By John Laidler
Globe Correspondent / January 31, 2010

An infusion of state and federal assistance is providing a major boost to six affordable housing proposals in the region.
The six are among 17 affordable housing plans selected to receive a combined $153.9 million in resources awarded by the Patrick administration this month.
“We were thrilled,’’ said Madeline Nash, real estate director for the nonprofit Coalition for a Better Area, in Lowell, which was awarded financing help to construct 23 affordable rental units on the former site of two blighted buildings it bought and razed last year in Lowell.
The coalition will receive $1,888,000 in state subsidies and $499,000 in federal tax credits for the project, the latest in a series it is carrying out to revitalize the Moody Street neighborhood.
“We are very excited about the opportunity to create new and exciting housing in this neighborhood and we see it as an essential component to this multiyear effort,’’ Nash said, estimating the project would get underway in September.
The 17 projects earning state awards will create or preserve 1,305 rental homes, 1,147 of which will be affordable to low and moderate households, including 144 transitioning to permanent housing from homelessness, according to the state.
The $153.9 million includes $131.4 million to produce 1,050 rent al units, 926 of them affordable. The financing will come in the form of federal and state tax credits – which will be sold to private investors – and funds allotted from various other state and federal programs.
The remaining $22.5 million will come from federal stimulus funds that are being used to jump-start affordable housing projects that received tax credits but have been stalled due to lack of equity in the tax credit market. The “tax credit exchange funds’’ were awarded by the state to three projects that will produce a combined 225 rental units, 221 of them affordable.
The nonprofit Caleb Foundation was awarded $4 million in tax credit exchange funds for its project to build 34 affordable rental units on the site of a dilapidated warehouse in Gloucester. The project marks the third and final phase of an overall redevelopment of the former LePage Glue factory complex.
Rob Bernardin, Caleb’s director of acquisitions, said that the state award will replace the unsold state tax credits that proved “the one stumbling block in our financing package.’’
Bernardin said construction is expected to begin by the end of the winter.
Through its development entity, Peabody Supportive Housing, LLC, EA Fish Companies was awarded financing for its project to restore the former Saunders school building in Lawrence and convert it to 16 affordable units for families transitioning from shelters. The award provides $1.3 million in state subsidies and $347,982 in federal tax credits.
Larry Oaks, a senior manager for the Braintree-based development firm, said the financing is “critical’’ for the project, now set to begin this spring.
“We’re delighted,’’ he said. “We are looking forward to hopefully opening the doors to this community in early 2011.
House of Hope, a Lowell nonprofit, received $557,324 in state funds to support its initiative to provide five units of affordable rental housing in Lowell for families transitioning from homelessness. The group, which also operates a shelter for homeless families on Merrimack Street, opened the transitional housing last year in a house it purchased on Varnum Avenue.
The state money will enable House of Hope to repay a temporary loan from the Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation it received last year to purchase the site, and to carry out renovations to the building exterior, said the group’s executive director, Deb Chausse.
The YMCA of the North Shore, and the Beverly Affordable Housing Coalition were jointly awarded $3.3 million in state subsidies, and $643,500 in federal tax credits to help build 33 affordable units in Beverly.
The project is the first phase of a two-phase initiative to raze a group of homes on Mill and Grant streets and replace them with 65 units of affordable housing, according to Christopher Lovasco, chief operating officer of the YMCA of the North Shore.
The YMCA, which manages 200 affordable rental units in the region, also received $8,139,940 in tax credit exchange funding for a planned 48-unit affordable rental housing project on Route 1A in Ipswich, next to the Ipswich YMCA.
“We can finally close on the project and begin construction,’’ Lovasco said.
© Copyright 2010 Globe Newspaper Company.

SourceBoston Sunday Globe

NOAH 22nd Annual Dinner Meeting set for December 17

NOAH 22nd Annual Dinner Meeting set for December 17
Friday, December 11, 2009
By John Lynds
East Boston’s Neighborhood of Affordable Housing (NOAH), which has a significant presence in Chelsea, is getting set for its 22nd Annual Dinner Meeting and Holiday Party just as Governor Deval Patrick signs a new law to secure long-term affordable housing preservation efforts.
NOAH’s party will take place on Thursday, December 17, at Spinelli’s Function Hall in Day Square at 7 p.m. The keynote speaker will be Senator Susan Tucker, who represents the City of Lawrence and the towns of Andover, Dracut, and Tewksbury in the Massachusetts Senate. Tucker is Co-Chair of the Legislature’s Joint Housing Committee, a member of the Senate Ways & Means Committee and several other Joint Committees.
“Her work as a legislator is part of a lifelong commitment to advocacy and community service,” said NOAH Executive Director Phil Giffee. “Tucker has earned a reputation as an independent, innovative and responsive leader who makes things happen.”
As Co-Chair of the Joint Housing Committee, Tucker has passed legislation to preserve the state’s stock of affordable housing and legislation to stem the foreclosure crisis by creating a system for the Division of Banks to rate mortgage lending companies on their lending practices, requiring the licensing of loan originators, ensuring responsible lending practices through added requirements of mortgage lenders and borrowers, establishing a borrower’s right to cure a loan default, and clarifying tenancies in foreclosed properties.
Just last week, Tucker joined Governor Patrick as he highlighted the law he signed to keep publicly-assisted rental properties affordable and announced the roll-out of a $150 million loan fund leveraged primarily through private dollars to support and secure long-term affordable housing preservation efforts.
“Preserving affordable rental housing keeps our working families strong and our economy strong. By securing and expanding housing opportunities now and over the long-term, we can make a difference in the lives of our neighbors, bolster our communities and maintain Massachusetts on a path toward recovery,” said Patrick.
The Governor’s signing of the “expiring use” bill creates a regulatory framework to preserve affordable rents in properties where long-term, publicly subsidized mortgages are paid off and affordability restrictions can then expire.
An estimated 90,000 units could be affected, with about 17,000 of those units at-risk of losing their affordability through expiring use over the next three years. The legislation establishes notification provisions for tenants within expiring use properties, a right of first refusal for the state Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) or its designee to purchase publicly assisted housing, and modest tenant protections for projects with affordability restrictions that terminate.
“Working together with tenants, property owners, preservation experts, and municipalities, the state now has a proactive, comprehensive strategy to permanently preserve more of the Commonwealth’s affordable rental housing stock,” said Senator Tucker. “It is critical, particularly in this economy, that we maintain housing options that are affordable to low income families, seniors, and people with disabilities. Preserving affordable housing is much less expensive than building it new.”
The Governor also announced a $150 million preservation loan fund created by the state quasi-public Community Economic Assistance Corp (CEDAC) in partnership with DHCD as they put together a pool of resources to help secure rental developments that are about to lose their expiring use restriction. The program is leveraged through state bond funds along with a $3.5 million award to Massachusetts from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, $40 million from private lenders, and $100 million from the Massachusetts Housing Investment Corp (MHIC). MHIC is a private non-profit entity founded in 1990 by a consortium of banks and other corporate investors to fill a critical gap in meeting the credit needs of affordable housing developers and owners who are unable to get financing for certain projects from traditional lenders.
“At a time when the economy and the state budget are facing great challenges, it is critical to advance innovative and cost-effective solutions to keep low income families and seniors in affordable homes”, said Aaron Gornstein, CHAPA Executive Director. “We commend the Legislature and the Governor for their outstanding leadership in passing a landmark bill that will utilize existing resources and public-private partnerships to preserve affordable rental housing.”
All these recent developments in housing are important to NOAH, an agency that began serving East Boston in 1987 as a two-person organization operating from a church basement. The organization’s staff has since grown and it is now in its twenty-second year as a non-profit, multi-service community development corporation, with five development projects in its real estate pipeline.
NOAH’s staff offers free counseling to homeowners who are looking to modify their current mortgages under the new Making Home Affordable Program and/or who are encountering difficulties paying their mortgages. Each Monday evening there is a free educational clinic on mortgage-related options for homeowners at NOAH’s offices at 143 Border Street in East Boston.
At NOAH, Boston homeowners can also receive free education on how to keep children living in their properties safe from lead poisoning. Income-qualified senior homeowners in Boston can receive free or low-cost safety-related repairs. Boston residents can also receive free counseling on locating affordable rental housing. For information on these or any of NOAH’s other community programming, please visit www.noahcdc.org or call 617-567-5882.
To attend NOAH’s upcoming meeting and party, members of the public can sign up online at www.noahcdc.org or by calling 617-567-5882. Tickets are $20 for adults and $5 for children. Tables of ten can be purchased for $180.

SourceChelsea Record

New fund will keep rents low: $150m loan program aims to preserve affordable housing

New fund will keep rents low
$150m loan program aims to preserve affordable housing
By Jenifer B. McKim, Globe Staff | December 1, 2009
A state effort to preserve affordable-housing rental properties received a boost yesterday as Governor Deval Patrick unveiled a $150 million loan fund aimed at helping organizations and individuals buy such developments and keep rents below market prices.
Patrick said the loan program, created with private and public funds, will be targeted at privately owned, subsidized properties that include rent restrictions for low-income residents, most of whom are senior citizens or disabled.
He detailed the plan at the State House during an event scheduled to celebrate a new law that gives the state right of first refusal on thousands of properties whose rent restrictions are set to expire. About 41,000 units of affordable housing are scheduled to revert to market-priced rents over the next decade as their owners pay off publicly subsidized mortgages and agreements keeping rents artificially low expire. Most of the apartments were created between the late 1960s and early 1980s when developers received financing incentives from the government in return for making apartments available to low-income tenants.
At the event, Patrick told community activists and housing advocates that the two measures together will “create a rational and predictable process’’ for the transfer of affordable housing units to new owners. He lauded the decades-long effort to preserve affordable housing in Massachusetts, which has some of the nation’s most expensive real estate.
“Today, all of you, working together, have protected our affordable housing stock and, most importantly, tenants in every corner and county of the Commonwealth,’’ Patrick said.
The loan fund will assist for-profit and nonprofit buyers interested in purchasing affordable housing by providing them with temporary funding while they seek permanent financing. The fund includes $100 million from the Massachusetts Housing Investment Corp., a private nonprofit created to support affordable housing, $40 million from private lenders, and $3.5 million from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, a Chicago nonprofit that supports housing and economic development.
The legislation signed by Patrick last week gives the state Department of Housing and Community Development or its designee the first chance to purchase publicly assisted housing as it becomes available. It also requires that tenants and municipalities be notified about looming expiration dates on rent restrictions and limits rent increases for three years on properties that convert to market rates.
Housing advocates lauded the efforts to keep rents manageable for low-income residents, although it is unclear how many property owners plan to sell or eliminate their affordable housing units.
The new fund “will allow nonprofit or for-profit owners to acquire these properties quickly and keep them affordable over the long term,’’ said Aaron Gornstein, executive director of the Citizens’ Housing and Planning Association. “It is critical to have access to the capital.’’
Jenifer B. McKim can be reached at jmckim@globe.com.

© Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company

Permalink: http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2009/12/01/patrick_unveils_150m_loan_fund_for_rental_properties/

SourceBoston Globe

Protecting Massachusetts’ Tenants: Support for Affordable Housing

Governor’s Daily Update
Innovation, Education, Infrastructure and Regional Focus

Monday, November 30, 2009 – Protecting Massachusetts’ Tenants: Support for Affordable Housing

Standing with housing and community leaders in the State House this morning, Governor Patrick highlighted a law he signed last week to keep publicly-assisted rental properties affordable and announced the roll-out of a $150 million loan fund leveraged primarily through private dollars to support and secure long-term affordable housing preservation efforts. The Governor’s signing of the “expiring use” bill last week created a regulatory framework to preserve affordable rents in properties where long-term, publicly subsidized mortgages are paid off and affordability restrictions can then expire. “Preserving affordable rental housing keeps our working families strong and our economy strong. By securing and expanding housing opportunities now and over the long-term, we can make a difference in the lives of our neighbors, bolster our communities and maintain Massachusetts on a path toward recovery,” said Governor Patrick.
Learn More:
• Press Release From the Office of the Governor – http://www.mass.gov/?pageID=gov3pressrelease&L=1&L0=Home&sid=Agov3&b=pressrelease&f=113009_expiring_use_law&csid=Agov3
• Article in the Boston Globe – http://www.boston.com/business/ticker/2009/11/150m_loan_fund.html

SourceGovernor’s Daily Update - Email

Patrick Signs Law To Boost Affordable Housing

Patrick Signs Law To Boost Affordable Housing

Today

Gov. Deval Patrick has signed a law to keep publicly-assisted rental properties affordable, and announced a $150 million loan fund to support and secure long-term affordable housing preservation efforts.

“Preserving affordable rental housing keeps our working families strong and our economy strong. By securing and expanding housing opportunities now and over the long-term, we can make a difference in the lives of our neighbors, bolster our communities and maintain Massachusetts on a path toward recovery,” Patrick said.

“By maximizing all available resources, we are working to meet today’s economic challenges head-on by building and preserving affordable housing opportunities for families of all income levels,” said Lt. Gov. Timothy Murray, chair of the state’s Interagency Council on Housing and Homelessness.

By signing the “expiring use” bill, the governor created a regulatory framework to preserve affordable rents in properties where long-term, publicly subsidized mortgages are paid off and affordability restrictions can then expire.

An estimated 90,000 units could be affected, with about 17,000 of those units at-risk of losing their affordability through expiring use over the next three years. The legislation establishes notification provisions for tenants within expiring use properties, a right of first refusal for the state Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) or its designee to purchase publicly assisted housing and modest tenant protections for projects with affordability restrictions that terminate, according to a statement.

“Working together with tenants, property owners, preservation experts, and municipalities, the state now has a proactive, comprehensive strategy to permanently preserve more of the Commonwealth’s affordable rental housing stock,” said Sen. Sue Tucker, D-Andover. “It is critical, particularly in this economy, that we maintain housing options that are affordable to low income families, seniors, and people with disabilities. Preserving affordable housing is much less expensive than building it new.”

The governor also announced a $150 million preservation loan fund created by the state quasi-public Community Economic Assistance Corp. (CEDAC), in partnership with DHCD. The program is leveraged through state bond funds along with a $3.5 million award to the state from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, $40 million from private lenders, and $100 million from the Massachusetts Housing Investment Corp. (MHIC).

“Enacting this legislation and loan fund helps us to preserve the vibrancy, vitality and rich diversity offered to residents in our cities and towns across the Commonwealth,” said DHCD Undersecretary Tina Brooks. “We are grateful for the ongoing support of the Patrick-Murray Administration and the Legislature as well as our partnership with CEDAC for helping us to leverage the public and private resources needed to secure this important preservation loan fund.”

SourceBanker & Tradesman

Massachusetts Invests $150 Million For Long Term Affordable Housing

Massachusetts Invests $150 Million For Long Term Affordable Housing

November 30, 2009

Governor Patrick Highlights Expiring Use Rental Housing Law, leveraging of public/private funds protects tenants.

Standing with housing and community leaders, Governor Deval Patrick today highlighted a law he signed last week to keep publicly-assisted rental properties affordable and announced the roll-out of a $150 million loan fund leveraged primarily through private dollars to support and secure long-term affordable housing preservation efforts.

“Preserving affordable rental housing keeps our working families strong and our economy strong. By securing and expanding housing opportunities now and over the long-term, we can make a difference in the lives of our neighbors, bolster our communities and maintain Massachusetts on a path toward recovery,” said Governor Patrick.

“By maximizing all available resources, we are working to meet today’s economic challenges head-on by building and preserving affordable housing opportunities for families of all income levels,” said Lieutenant Governor Timothy Murray, chair of the state’s Interagency Council on Housing and Homelessness.

The Governor’s signing of the “expiring use” bill last week creates a regulatory framework to preserve affordable rents in properties where long-term, publicly subsidized mortgages are paid off and affordability restrictions can then expire. An estimated 90,000 units could be affected, with about 17,000 of those units at-risk of losing their affordability through expiring use over the next three years. The legislation establishes notification provisions for tenants within expiring use properties, a right of first refusal for the state Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) or its designee to purchase publicly assisted housing, and modest tenant protections for projects with affordability restrictions that terminate.

“Working together with tenants, property owners, preservation experts, and municipalities, the state now has a proactive, comprehensive strategy to permanently preserve more of the Commonwealth’s affordable rental housing stock,” said Senator Sue Tucker. “It is critical, particularly in this economy, that we maintain housing options that are affordable to low income families, seniors, and people with disabilities. Preserving affordable housing is much less expensive than building it new.”

“A strong Commonwealth is built by vibrant communities and stable households. This legislation will allow thousands of seniors, disabled and low income working families to feel the dignity of having a home and the pride of being part of a community,” said Representative Kevin G. Honan. “This legislation represents a collaborative effort between the Legislature, the administration, nonprofits, and the private sector. The tireless efforts of tenants and advocates were vital in creating a strong tool that will have a lasting impact on the lives of so many.”

The Governor also announced a $150 million preservation loan fund created by the state quasi-public Community Economic Assistance Corp (CEDAC) in partnership with DHCD as they put together a pool of resources to help secure rental developments that are about to lose their expiring use restriction. The program is leveraged through state bond funds along with a $3.5 million award to Massachusetts from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, $40 million from private lenders, and $100 million from the Massachusetts Housing Investment Corp (MHIC). MHIC is a private non-profit entity founded in 1990 by a consortium of banks and other corporate investors to fill a critical gap in meeting the credit needs of affordable housing developers and owners who are unable to get financing for certain projects from traditional lenders.

“Enacting this legislation and loan fund helps us to preserve the vibrancy, vitality and rich diversity offered to residents in our cities and towns across the Commonwealth,” said DHCD Undersecretary Tina Brooks. “We are grateful for the ongoing support of the Patrick-Murray Administration and the Legislature as well as our partnership with CEDAC for helping us to leverage the public and private resources needed to secure this important preservation loan fund.”

“At a time when the economy and the state budget are facing great challenges, it is critical to advance innovative and cost-effective solutions to keep low income families and seniors in affordable homes”, said Aaron Gornstein, CHAPA Executive Director. “We commend the Legislature and the Governor for their outstanding leadership in passing a landmark bill that will utilize existing resources and public-private partnerships to preserve affordable rental housing.”

Article printed from Gov Monitor: http://thegovmonitor.com

URL to article: http://thegovmonitor.com/world_news/united_states/massachusetts-invests-150-million-for-long-term-affordable-housing-17291.html

SourceThe Gov Monitor

$150m loan fund aimed at preserving affordable rentals

$150m loan fund aimed at preserving affordable rentals
November 30, 2009 12:40 PM

By Jenifer B. McKim, Globe Staff

Governor Deval Patrick today unveiled a new $150 million loan fund to help people buy rental properties that are about to lose their affordable housing restrictions, which limit how much much rent tenants can be charged.

The fund, created with private and public funds, will be used to “support and secure” government-subsidized properties that have rent restrictions for low-income residents, most of whom are senior citizens and people with disabilities, according to the state.

Patrick talked about the fund today at a State House event with housing and community leaders that was scheduled to celebrate the passage of a new law that creates a regulatory framework to preserve affordable rents in so-called “expiring use” properties. The law gives the state Department of Housing and Community Development first option to buy thousands of government-subsidized properties that have rent restrictions. Over the next decade, about 41,000 units of affordable housing are scheduled to lose their rent restrictions, according to the nonprofit Citizens’ Housing and Planning Association.

The legislation deals with homes built by private companies with public subsidies. Rents on such properties are capped, but the restrictions can expire, typically when the mortgage is paid off. Under the new law, rent increases would be limited for three years once a property is no longer designated as affordable.

“Preserving affordable rental housing keeps our working families strong and our economy strong,” Patrick said in a written statement today.

SourceBoston Globe

GOVERNOR PATRICK HIGHLIGHTS ‘EXPIRING USE’ RENTAL HOUSING LAW, ANNOUNCES $150M FUND TO PRESERVE LONG

GOVERNOR PATRICK HIGHLIGHTS ‘EXPIRING USE’ RENTAL HOUSING LAW, ANNOUNCES $150M FUND TO PRESERVE LONG-TERM AFFORDABLE HOUSING
New law, leveraging of public/private funds protects tenants
BOSTON – Monday, November 30, 2009 – Standing with housing and community leaders, Governor Deval Patrick today highlighted a law he signed last week to keep publicly-assisted rental properties affordable and announced the roll-out of a $150 million loan fund leveraged primarily through private dollars to support and secure long-term affordable housing preservation efforts.

“Preserving affordable rental housing keeps our working families strong and our economy strong. By securing and expanding housing opportunities now and over the long-term, we can make a difference in the lives of our neighbors, bolster our communities and maintain Massachusetts on a path toward recovery,” said Governor Patrick.

“By maximizing all available resources, we are working to meet today’s economic challenges head-on by building and preserving affordable housing opportunities for families of all income levels,” said Lieutenant Governor Timothy Murray, chair of the state’s Interagency Council on Housing and Homelessness.

The Governor’s signing of the “expiring use” bill last week creates a regulatory framework to preserve affordable rents in properties where long-term, publicly subsidized mortgages are paid off and affordability restrictions can then expire. An estimated 90,000 units could be affected, with about 17,000 of those units at-risk of losing their affordability through expiring use over the next three years. The legislation establishes notification provisions for tenants within expiring use properties, a right of first refusal for the state Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) or its designee to purchase publicly assisted housing, and modest tenant protections for projects with affordability restrictions that terminate.

“Working together with tenants, property owners, preservation experts, and municipalities, the state now has a proactive, comprehensive strategy to permanently preserve more of the Commonwealth’s affordable rental housing stock,” said Senator Sue Tucker. “It is critical, particularly in this economy, that we maintain housing options that are affordable to low income families, seniors, and people with disabilities. Preserving affordable housing is much less expensive than building it new.”

“A strong Commonwealth is built by vibrant communities and stable households. This legislation will allow thousands of seniors, disabled and low income working families to feel the dignity of having a home and the pride of being part of a community,” said Representative Kevin G. Honan. “This legislation represents a collaborative effort between the Legislature, the administration, nonprofits, and the private sector. The tireless efforts of tenants and advocates were vital in creating a strong tool that will have a lasting impact on the lives of so many.”

The Governor also announced a $150 million preservation loan fund created by the state quasi-public Community Economic Assistance Corp (CEDAC) in partnership with DHCD as they put together a pool of resources to help secure rental developments that are about to lose their expiring use restriction. The program is leveraged through state bond funds along with a $3.5 million award to Massachusetts from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, $40 million from private lenders, and $100 million from the Massachusetts Housing Investment Corp (MHIC). MHIC is a private non-profit entity founded in 1990 by a consortium of banks and other corporate investors to fill a critical gap in meeting the credit needs of affordable housing developers and owners who are unable to get financing for certain projects from traditional lenders.

“Enacting this legislation and loan fund helps us to preserve the vibrancy, vitality and rich diversity offered to residents in our cities and towns across the Commonwealth,” said DHCD Undersecretary Tina Brooks. “We are grateful for the ongoing support of the Patrick-Murray Administration and the Legislature as well as our partnership with CEDAC for helping us to leverage the public and private resources needed to secure this important preservation loan fund.”

“At a time when the economy and the state budget are facing great challenges, it is critical to advance innovative and cost-effective solutions to keep low income families and seniors in affordable homes”, said Aaron Gornstein, CHAPA Executive Director. “We commend the Legislature and the Governor for their outstanding leadership in passing a landmark bill that will utilize existing resources and public-private partnerships to preserve affordable rental housing.”

SourceMass.Gov Office of the Governor

Mont Marie project begun

Mont Marie project begun
Wednesday, November 18, 2009

HOLYOKE – The Sisters of St. Joseph broke ground for the St. Joseph Residence at Mont Marie on Oct. 27.

The congregation was awarded a $4.3 million federal grant for the project from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. In addition, the grant will provide a three-year rental subsidy of $438,000.

This is the second time in three years that the Sisters of St. Joseph has been awarded HUD funding for a senior housing project. Sister Mary Quinn, president of the congregation, said, “St. Joseph Residence will respond to our neighbors who are in need of affordable housing as well as supportive services. This project speaks to the heart of who we are as Sisters of St. Joseph serving our ‘dear neighbors.'”

Project manager Sheila Galicki added, “The Sisters of St. Joseph are wonderful partners. Their mission mirrors HUD’s mission of providing affordable, safe housing for the elderly.”

The two-story facility will include 30 one-bedroom low income apartments for people over the age of 62 with varying needs for supportive services. The sisters, co-sponsoring the project with Mercy Housing, designed the facility to provide housing that prolongs independent living as an alternative to long-term care placement.

All apartments will be of senior-friendly design and a percentage will also be handicapped accessible. The building will include a community room with kitchen, a computer and sitting room and a large courtyard for recreation. The facility, at 38 Lower Westfield Road, will sit on the east side of the Mont Marie campus.

The congregation received additional funding from the state Department of Housing and Community Development, the city, the Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation and the Charles H. Farnsworth Trust.

St. Joseph Residence is the second phase of a multi-phase affordable housing campus. The first phase, Mont Marie Senior Residence, which opened in September 2008, was primarily funded by a $6.2 million HUD grant and provides 49 low income apartments for the elderly who require limited services. Both residences will be open to the public. Submitted by the Sisters of St. Joseph.

SourceThe Republican (MassLive.com)

GOING FOR ZERO:THE PROCESS OF DEVELOPING A NEAR-ZERO ENERGY HOME

See linked PDF

SourceRural Voices THE MAGAZINE OF THE HOUSING ASSISTANCE COUNCIL Fall 2008 issue