Tag: affordable housing

Grant aids Acton housing plan

Grant aids Acton housing plan
GateHouse News Service
Posted Feb 09, 2012 @ 12:27 PM
Acton, Mass. —
The Community Economic Development Assistance Corp. has announced today loan commitments or increases totaling $390,000. Included in these commitments is a loan to the Acton Housing Authority for new affordable housing in that community.
“We are encouraged to see a community like the town of Acton addressing the need for affordable housing,” said Roger Herzog, executive director of the organization, also known by its acronym, CEDAC. “There are many communities across the Commonwealth that struggle to provide quality affordable housing. The Acton Housing Authority is providing community development leadership in an area of the state that will benefit tremendously from it.”
CEDAC approved a predevelopment loan of $120,000 to the Acton Housing Authority for the McCarthy Village II project. The development will be twelve new affordable rental units that include nine 2-bedroom and three 3-bedroom units.
The Acton Housing Authority is reserving six of the units for households with incomes below 30 percent of the area’s median income. Additionally, three of these units will be dedicated to homeless families coming directly from shelter.
The project will be designed to LEED for Homes Silver certification and is to appear as a natural extension of the existing surrounding homes. The architectural treatment blends seamlessly with the existing duplexes at McCarthy Village I. The project specifications will conform with EnergyStar guidelines for building envelope, lighting and energy efficient appliance selection, the press release said.
CEDAC is a private-public, 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 improvement to childcare facilities. To learn more, visit www.cedac.org.
Copyright 2012 The Beacon. Some rights reserved

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SourceGateHouse News Service Wicked Local, Acton

Residents welcome new elderly housing on the Neponset River

February 8, 2012

Residents welcome new elderly housing on the Neponset River
By Patrick D. Rosso, Town Correspondent

HYDE PARK, MATTAPAN: Senior citizens in Mattapan and Hyde Park cheered Tuesday as Mayor Thomas Menino cut the ribbon to the Residences at Neponset Field, a $10-million affordable housing development.
“This property is great,” said Thomas Tibbs, a 55-year-old Mattapan resident who lives in the new building with his wife Sarah. “We came out of a house that was hard to keep up with and this new building is wonderful. Everyone deserves a house and a home.”
The 31 affordable units on a 3.5-acre site along the Neponset River are meant to provide elderly residents with a stable community at an affordable price.
The building, which is LEED certified “silver”, cost approximately $10 million to construct. Workers officially broke ground in 2010, but the project has been in the works since 2007.
“This is advancement for the city to make sure we provide affordable housing,” said Menino. “We will always continue to provide housing in Boston.”
The new space, which sits on a once-vacant lot, provides residents with amenities such as elevator service, laundry and common rooms. Construction for the project was funded in part by the city of Boston, the state of Massachusetts and the US Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The units, which have all been filled, provide rental units for residents 62 or older who are earning at or below 50-percent average median income.
According to the city, the project provided 72 construction jobs and three new permanent jobs.
Future plans for the site include the creation of a single family or townhome development, but at the end of the day many who live at Neponset Field were ready to kick back and enjoy their new home and community.
“When I came here I met people who truly cared about me,” said Sarah Tibbs, 63. “There is a real community here and it is just so wonderful.”
Email Patrick D. Rosso, patrick.d.rosso@gmail.com. Follow him @PDRosso, or friend him on Facebook.

© 2012 NY Times Co.
URL: http://www.boston.com/yourtown/news/mattapan/2012/02/hold_residents_welcome_new_eld.html

SourceBoston Globe

Tenants Association Buys, Renovates South End Rental Housing

Thursday, January 19, 2012, 10:29am
Tenants Association Buys, Renovates South End Rental Housing
MassDevelopment and Boston Private Bank & Trust Co. have partnered to provide Brownstone Apartments LLC with $6.64 million in tax-exempt bond financing. The bond proceeds will be used to purchase and renovate a 75-unit rental housing complex in Boston’s South End.
All of the units are affordable, with 73 units rented to households earning up to 60 percent of the area median income and two units rented to households earning up to 80 percent of the area median income. Low Cost Tenants Association, the project’s sponsor, is a nonprofit cooperative of apartment residents who work to maintain its affordability.
Renovations include repairing exterior masonry and stonework; replacing windows, kitchen cabinets, flooring, and bath accessories; retiling; resurfacing; and painting. MassDevelopment issued the bond that Boston Private Bank & Trust purchased.
“MassDevelopment is pleased to support Brownstone’s tenants as they purchase and renovate their facility,” said MassDevelopment President and CEO Marty Jones. “Reasonably-priced housing helps attract residents and businesses, and this low-cost financing will help make these South End apartments more attractive and livable.”
“Many people and agencies worked hard to help us both maintain control of our homes and invest in rehabilitating these wonderful old buildings – HUD, the city of Boston Neighborhood Housing Trust, the Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation, and Peabody Properties. However, I’d have to put MassDevelopment and Boston Private Bank & Trust at the top of the list,” said Jean Niane, Low Cost’s President and a longtime resident. “We are talking about our homes here, and we are not going to gamble with that, and we did not ask MassDevelopment or the Bank to gamble either. We all wanted the same thing, and we’re grateful for their willingness to work with us patiently to find the most efficient and safest way for our homes to continue to be both affordable and well-kept.”

Banker & Tradesman ©2012
URL: http://www.bankerandtradesman.com/news148259.html

SourceBanker & Tradesman

Rockport, other communities deal with threat to affordable housing posed by expiring mortgages

December 29, 2011
Rockport, other communities deal with threat to affordable housing posed by expiring mortgages
By David Rattigan, Globe Correspondent
Doris Nelson, 83, enjoys Pigeon Cove Ledges in Rockport, where she’s lived for nine years.
“It’s a very nice, clean place,’’ she said. “I’m very glad to not have to be packing up.’’
When the 30-unit senior housing property on Curtis Street changed owners on Dec. 1, it was something more than a typical real estate transaction.
With the building’s affordable housing restriction set to expire, the purchase by a Beverly-based nonprofit developer and operator protected the homes of the 34 elderly residents on fixed incomes who live there.
For affordable housing advocates, the Rockport transaction represented a positive outcome from a new threat. Mortgages are expiring on a large number of privately owned, publicly financed affordable housing developments, giving owners the option to instead offer rental housing for market rates, or sell the property to another entity that would do the same.
According to a report last spring by the public-private Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation, the situation will be repeated for thousands of units of affordable housing in the state over the next decade.
“Starting in the mid-1960s and continuing through the late 1970s, almost a million affordable rental housing units were produced nationwide through federally assisted mortgage programs that tied affordability restrictions to below-market-rate 40-year mortgages,’’ Bill Brauner, the corporation’s housing preservation program manager, wrote in the report.
“Already in Massachusetts, over 3,800 affordable apartments have reached the end of their 40-year mortgages with no other affordability restrictions,’’ he wrote. “Another 13,200 apartments in 110 projects will reach year 40 by the end of the decade.’’
There are examples in area communities. For instance, at Salem Towers in Malden, a $17 million recapitalization deal between for-profit New England Communities Inc. and nonprofit Beth Israel Senior Citizen Housing will preserve 80 units, and rehabilitate the building to provide better accessibility for elders with disabilities. In Beverly, 100 units at Jaclen Towers are being preserved through purchase by the for-profit Beacon Communities LLC.
Meanwhile, the 56-unit Fort Heath apartment complex in Winthrop ended its 40-year mortgage in October, and the owner has said it will become a market-rate building. In that scenario, as units become available, they can be rented as either subsidized or market-rate housing.
In addition to protecting the residents at Pigeon Cove Ledges, the Rockport property’s purchase by Harborlight Community Partners Inc. also protected a large percentage of the town’s affordable housing stock; the 30 units represent 22 percent of all affordable housing in Rockport.
With just 3.7 percent of its housing deemed “affordable,’’ Rockport is below the 10 percent threshold that protects a municipality from developers that seek zoning waivers under Chapter 40B, the state regulations governing affordable housing development.
By maintaining 10 percent, a town can more easily control its future and avoid unwanted development, but, as Rockport Housing Partnership board member Robert Visnick noted, there are other benefits.
“We’re looking to have diversity of property in Rockport,’’ he said. “We’d hate to see people who grew up here, or worked here, not be able to live here.’’
To preserve affordable housing stock, communities have turned to a variety of solutions, armed with regulations from Chapter 40T, passed into law in 2009, that provide procedures for owners considering selling their property – including notices to the local community starting two years before putting it on the market – and penalties for those who don’t.
“The passage of 40T was really a milestone goal’’ for preserving affordable housing in the state, said Deborah Goddard, chief counsel for the Department of Housing and Community Development. “I think we have a unique tool to put the value behind preservation.’’
Meanwhile, the Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation has created a database of information about the state’s 110 privately developed affordable-housing projects. The organization, which provides technical assistance, predevelopment lending, and consulting services, has facilitated communication and partnerships among those who have sought to preserve affordable housing.
“Vigilance alone won’t get it done,’’ said Roger Herzog, the organization’s executive director. “You need both vigilance and the ability to go and negotiate a new agreement with the owners.’’
Tina Cassidy, Beverly’s director of planning, said the city has worked to bring and maintain affordable housing at 11.14 percent.
An early example of a community trying to protect affordable housing stock came from Salem when the owner of the 10-story, 227-apartment Salem Heights complex decided to prepay its mortgage, with the intention of turning it into market-rate housing. The city went to court against the owner, and helped negotiated a 2003 deal that led to the property’s sale to the Preservation of Affordable Housing Inc., a Boston-based nonprofit, with an agreement to maintain affordable housing at Salem Heights for 100 years.
“I remember them being the first one around here,’’ said Cassidy, who since then has dealt with similar expiring-use issues at Apple Village and Fairweather Apartments, which between them have about 300 units. In the most recent case, Fairweather was also sold to Preservation of Affordable Housing.
“While we’ve come close to the bullet two times, we have not been shot,’’ said Cassidy, noting that Beverly continues to monitor its affordable housing projects.
The Pigeon Cove deal took 2 ½ years to complete, said Andrew DeFranza, executive director of Harborlight Community Partners, with the nonprofit receiving financial support from a variety of sources including Rockport’s Community Preservation Act program, the Rockport Housing Partnership, the North Shore HOME Consortium, and the federal Department of Agriculture. Including the purchase price, a planned rehabilitation, and other costs, the deal will cost $5 million, he said.
At one point, residents worried that Pigeon Cove might be redeveloped as market-rate condos, according to Louise Andersen, 91, who lives in a second-floor unit. When DeFranza told residents that the new owner would continue to operate as they had been, but rehab the building and install an elevator, Andersen was one of those residents who applauded

© 2012 NY Times Co.
URL: http://articles.boston.com/2011-12-29/news/30569679_1_affordable-housing-affordable-apartments-market-rate-housing

SourceBoston Globe

More funding for housing

December 04, 2011

North
Somerville | BRIEFS

More funding for housing
By: Matt Byrne
A private-public community development agency has announced $700,000 in of new and increased loans that will fund the renovation of 31 affordable apartments and the construction of eight new units for homeless families in East Somerville. The Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation said $600,000 will go toward the construction of the new units, which will provide shelter for recently homeless families. The remaining $100,000 will help fund the refurbishment of the former Catholic parish site at Saint Polycarp Village, planned to house 31 one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments. The funding will be administered through the Somerville Community Corporation. “The city of Somerville is meeting the challenge of creating affordable housing even while it experiences positive growth,’’ Roger Herzog, executive director of the Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation, said in a prepared statement. “With these loan commitments, CEDAC is providing opportunities for quality affordable housing in the community. We’re happy to be assisting Somerville Community Corporation in their efforts to strengthen their neighborhoods.” The $100,000 boost to the Saint Polycarp project comes after an initial $5.2 million in financing to help the Somerville Community Corporation buy the 3.5-acre site in 2006. – Matt Byrne

© 2011 The New York Times Company
URL: http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/regionals/north/2011/12/04/more-funding-for-housing/uYyJN1OUiGwzAocLXNBHvK/story.htm

SourceBoston Globe

$700,000 in loans for affordable housing projects

November 30, 2011

5 Things to Know Today
By Chris Orchard

Local Connections
$700,000 in Affordable Housing Loans, and Safe Toys for Children
$700,000 in loans for affordable housing projects
The Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation announced last week $700,000 in loans for affordable housing projects in Somerville. The Somerville Community Corporation (SCC) received the loans, and most of the money will be used to build an eight-unit building in East Somerville that will provide permanent housing to formerly homeless households, according to an announcement from the Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation. Part of the loans will go toward the completion of Saint Polycarp Village Phase III, which will be home to 31 units of affordable housing. In October, the Somerville Community Corporation received subsidies and tax credits from the state for these projects.

Copyright © 2011 Patch.
URL: http://somerville.patch.com/articles/700-000-in-affordable-housing-loans-and-safe-toys-for-children

SourceSomerville Patch

Easthampton’s proposed Parsons Village affordable housing project gets $75,000 loan commitment incre

Wednesday, August 03, 2011
Easthampton’s proposed Parsons Village affordable housing project gets $75,000 loan commitment increase
By Brian Steele, The Republican

EASTHAMPTON – Funding for a proposed affordable housing project in New City is rolling in even though the developer still doesn’t have the necessary permit and neighbors have pulled no punches in their efforts to stop it.

The Community Economic Development Assistance Corp., a quasi-public funding agency for affordable housing and other projects, has announced an increase in its loan commitment to Parsons Village’s developer, Valley Community Development Corp.

The $75,000 hike brings the total commitment to $181,300. It comes due when full funding is secured. It will help with third-party expenses like attorney, design and appraisal fees, as well as putting together a request for funding from the state, said Valley CDC Executive Director Joanne Campbell.

A press release from CEDAC says the funding came at a time when the design showed 38 units, but there are now 37 planned. The revision will not affect the amount or terms of the loan.

Last year, the City Council committed $200,000 in community preservation funds if the project can be fully funded, and Valley CDC said it will ask for another $300,000. State and federal low-income housing tax credits and private investors will likely fund the rest of the $11 million to $12 million development.

Monthly rent for units in the development, which has been in the permitting phase for more than four months, would be $555 to $1,000, depending on the number of bedrooms, for tenants making between $26,000 and $50,000 per year.

In March, 101 residents, including City Councilor Justin P. Cobb of New City, sent a petition asking the state Department of Housing and Community Development’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund not to support Parsons Village. The accompanying letter says it was sent to “all granters” to which Valley CDC would apply.

Their chief complaints were the purportedly high density, the lack of owner-occupied units, its long distance from services like transportation hubs and grocery stores, and the notion that it would continue a trend of segregating low-income people into one section of the city.

A separate statement from CEDAC said the organization did not receive the petition. Cobb said the petition went to those groups that issue the tax credits.

“This is how government stacks the deck against some of the residents,” Cobb said. “We don’t know how many funding sources they have. … It would have been nice if we could have offered an alternate point of view so (CEDAC) could have made a more data-driven decision.”

Campbell said the loan increase is “a positive turn for us.”

“They’re giving a vote of confidence that ultimately we’ll have a permit,” she said. “They feel the project has merit.”

© 2011 MassLive LLC
URL: http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2011/08/easthamptons_proposed_parsons.htm

SourceThe Republican (MassLive.Com)

CEDAC NOT MENTIONED: Proposed Parsons Village housing in Easthampton receives $75,000 state loan

Proposed Parsons Village housing in Easthampton receives $75,000 state loan
By BARBARA SOLOW, Staff Writer

EASTHAMPTON – Parsons Village, a proposed affordable housing development that has generated controversy in the city, was among seven affordable housing and child care projects named Monday as recipients of state loans.
The planned $10 million Parsons Village complex, which is being developed by Valley Community Developent Corp., was awarded a $75,000 loan from the state’s Economic Development Assistance Corp.
The CEDAC, a public-private finance agency created in 1978 to serve as a resource for nonprofit community development organizations, announced a total of $2.2 million in loan commitments to low-income housing and child care projects in Massachusetts.
A press release describing those projects stated that the 4.34-acre Parsons Village development “will meet a substantial need in Easthampton, a community with a large low- and moderate-income population and a shortage of affordable rental housing.”
Supporters of the Parsons Street project have made similar arguments at public hearings held since May. Monthly rents at the new complex would range from $555 to $1,000 per unit for tenants in the $26,000 to $50,000 annual income range.
But opponents have countered that the project does not fit with the city’s master plan because the area around the proposed site is already too densely populated.
In response to citizen concerns, the CDC recently agreed to reduce the number of units from 38 to 37 but keep the same number of bedrooms. The new design calls for six separate buildings that will house one studio apartment, eight one-bedroom, 20 two-bedroom and eight three-bedroom apartments.
Berkshire Design Group, the firm handling the design work, has also altered plans to ensure that all of the buildings meet city setback requriements and that parking areas conform with zoning rules prohibiting more than 14 spaces in a single parking area.
The Planning Board is scheduled to take up the Parsons Village project again Aug. 29.
After the board closes the public hearing, it has 90 days to make a decision on the project. If the application is approved, there is a 20-day appeal period.
Neither Easthampton Mayor Michael Tautznik, nor Valley CDC Director Joanne Campbell could be reached for comment Monday.

Daily Hampshire Gazette © 2011 All rights reserved
URL: http://www.gazettenet.com/2011/07/26/proposed-parsons-village-housing-receives-75k-loan

SourceDaily Hampshire Gazette via GazetteNet.com

What’s the ground breaking news in Hamilton? Firehouse Place affordable housing officially digs in

What’s the ground breaking news in Hamilton?
Firehouse Place affordable housing officially digs in
By Sam Trapani (strapani@wickedlocal.com), Hamilton-Wenham Chronicle

Hamilton-Wenham —
The question
Monday morning, June 13, about 50 people gathered in front of the Acord Food Pantry. Residents driving by could see a row of shiny, silver shovels lined up against the building with white construction hats being donned by various business owners and politicians. So why did town and state officials along with residents circle around in front of this building at 69 Willow Street, Hamilton?
The Answer
It was the official ground breaking ceremony that signals the construction phase for the renovation of the Firehouse Place affordable housing project in Hamilton. It is historic in that the building is the town’s original firehouse. But even more importantly, it is the first housing project for the Town of Hamilton CPA funding (Community Preservation Act) creating the towns first ‘affordable housing’ projects. Although the scale is small, just 4 affordable units, through this project it will enable the Acord Food Pantry to have a permanent home on the first floor which otherwise would have been uprooted if a market developer purchased the property.
Carol Suleski, President of Harborlight Community Partners, who were the catalyst for this project welcomed the crowd of people. Suleski said of the 14 various funding sources it took to pull this project off, that it goes to show that, “the total is greater than the sum of its parts.” Suleski said the ground breaking was the realization of a dream of everyone involved in the project. The goal is for an 18-20 week construction phase with residents being able to move into the apartments in the fall.
Suleski read the long list of funding sources that Harborlight Executive Director, Andrew DeFranza, masterfully orchestrated.
State Rep. Brad Hill said that the project had been quite a journey. Harborlight Community Partners was originally approached in 2008 by Hamilton community members concerned with how to preserve the building at 69 Willow Street as a space for the Acord Food Pantry.
First Congregational Church parishioner, Jared Ward, had the idea to preserve Acord’s space and utilize the upper floor apartments as affordable housing. That idea is now coming to fruition after three years of perseverance. “As a lifelong resident of Hamilton and Wenham I am pleased to have been able to see my original concept come to fruition through the hard work of so many people.” said Ward.
Hill said that the Hamilton site was exactly the type of multi-benefit resource that law-makers had in mind when they came up with the Community Preservation Act. Hamilton Selectman Dave Carey was singled out by Hill for his “continued advocacy” for the project. And Carey in turn gave a shout out to Harborlight. “A town could never do this alone,” Carey said of the hundreds of pages of proposals DeFranza put together.
Senator Bruce Tarr was also on hand to celebrate the significance of the day. Tarr said he was proud of what the town of Hamilton with Harborlight Community Partners was able to achieve in providing housing and food, the “basis of human needs to build a stronger community.”
What this means to you
Residents should be aware, and patient, that 69 Willow Street will be a construction site for the next 4 months or so. The Acord Food Pantry will have a temporary space in the Council on Aging building at 299 Bay Road, the former children’s room in the old library.
Anne Marie Cullen, who has been working with Acord Food Pantry for over 20 years said that they are grateful for the temporary space. “And we are so happy we no longer have to worry about where Acord will have to go. We now have a permanent home.”
Managing Director of the Acord Food Pantry, Deby Baker, echoes that sentiment. “With the temporary space, it allows us to still have donations dropped off during normal business hours. We hope to be set up and ready in our temporary space by Wednesday evening’s hours so our client’s don’t miss a beat,” Baker said.
For donations to Acord Food Pantry:
Drop off at temporary site: 299 Bay Road in the COA building, Hamilton.
Wednesday 6:30 – 8 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. – 12 Noon.
Donations can also be dropped off at the Hamilton-Wenham Library during normal business hours.
Visit acordfoodpantry.org for more information.
Visit harborlightcp.org for information on living in one of their properties or to make a charitable contribution.
Special thanks to the Funders and Financing Partners who made this project possible:
Town of Hamilton, Community Preservation Fund, Acord Food Pantry, North Shore HOME Consortium, First Baptist Church of Beverly, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Dept. of Housing and Community Development, Affordable Housing Trust Fund, Community Economic Development Assistance Corp., Boston Community Capital, MassDevelopment, Beverly Cooperative Bank, North Shore United Way, Beverly National Bank/Danversbank, Architect: Siemasko & Verbridge, Contractor: Martins Construction Company.

Martins Construction Co. and Boy Scouts assist Acord Food Pantry With Move
Saturday, June 11, employees of Martins Construction Company, Inc., along with members of Boy Scout Troop # 28 of Wenham, assisted the Acord Food Bank in moving their operation from their home at 69 Willow Street in Hamilton to a new temporary location at 229 Bay Road, Hamilton, also the home of the Hamilton Council on Aging. This move will allow Martins Construction Company to begin renovation and construction work at the 69 Willow Street location the following week.
“The folks at the Acord pantry do so much for so many and we are just happy to be able to help them out” said Al Martins, President of Martins Construction Company, Inc.
Acord Food Pantry in Hamilton, MA has provided food assistance to residents of Hamilton, Wenham, and several nearby communities since 1991. Acord is a non-denominational, non-profit, grassroots organization staffed by more than 100 local volunteers. Acord is a partner of the Greater Boston Food Bank and the Merrimack Valley Food Bank, and a member of the North Shore Hunger Network.

Copyright 2011 Hamilton-Wenham Chronicle. Some rights reserved
URL: http://www.wickedlocal.com/hamilton/news/x1162607882/What-s-the-ground-breaking-news-in-Hamilton#axzz1PN5xco6w

SourceWicked Local Hamilton/ Hamilton-Wenham Chronicle

Somerville’s St. Polycarp Village wins ‘Door Knocker Award’

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.
URL: http://www.wickedlocal.com/somerville/news/x910434040/Somervilles-St-Polycarp-Village-wins-Door-Knocker-Award#axzz1QVgUQnsk

SourceWicked Local Somerville