CCRI Supports More Than 500 Housing Units For Veterans

Veterans in Massachusetts and across the country are in need of housing and access to supportive services. MassHousing is partnering with a number of organizations to help increase the availability of quality affordable housing for Veterans.

The funding comes through the Center for Community Recovery Innovations (CCRI), a nonprofit subsidiary of MassHousing that works to increase the availability of affordable, sober housing and supportive programming.

“The need for affordable sober housing reaches across all populations, men and women, young and old,” said Ed Chase, Director of CCRI. “Veterans are among those whose recovery from alcohol and drug abuse can be bolstered by a substance free and supportive environment in the community. CCRI is proud to collaborate with dedicated local partners to provides this quality housing.”

MassHousing has provided more than $1.8 million in funding to support 520 units of affordable sober housing at 24 developments for Veterans and formerly homeless Veterans in Massachusetts.

CCRI Projects Serving Veterans

Project Name	CCRI Award	Location	Units
Veterans, Inc (Cambridge Street)	$50,000	Worcester	9
Montachusett Vets Outreach Ctr.	$75,000	Gardner	19
Soldier On	$50,000	Leeds	70
NeighborWorks (Fr McCarthy’s)	$70,000	Quincy	19
Veterans, Inc. (Grove St)	$75,000	Worcester	20
Caritas (North Street)	$75,000	New Bedford	19
Bedford Veterans Quarters	$75,000	Bedford	54
NeighborWorks (Sansatini House)	$75,000	Quincy	10
Fr Bills & Mainspring (Work Express)	$75,000	Brockton	32
Mass Sober Housing (Hooper Street)	$29,610	Chelsea	5
Veterans, Inc (Sheridan Street)	$75,000	Worcester	10
Soldier On	$70,000	Pittsfield	39
Fr Bills & Mainspring (Fort Hill)	$75,000	Hingham	6
Bi-Lingual Veterans Outreach Ctrs. (Cass St)	$75,000	Springfield	19
Volunteers of America (Mass Bay Vets Center)	$75,000	Somerville	26
CHOICE (Home for Our Veterans)	$150,000	Chelmsford/Westford	13
Veterans, Inc (Sheridan Street)	$25,000	Worcester	9
New England Center and Home for Veterans	$75,000	Boston	35
Partners in Housing (O’Connor Sisson House)	$75,000	Dartmouth	9
NeighborWorks (E Howard Street)	$125,000	Quincy	12
Fr Bills & Mainspring (Jack’s Pl & Patti’s House)	$125,000	Brockton	21
Veterans Inc (Independence Hall)	$75,000	Shrewsbury	35
NeighborWorks (Main St)	$75,000	Weymouth	6
Fr Bills & Mainspring (Montello WH II)	$75,000	Brockton	23
TOTAL	$1,819,610		520

Putting CCRI Dollars to Work

One of those developments is Weymouth Veterans House, a six-unit facility developed by Neighborworks of Southern Massachusetts (NWSOMA) in partnership with the Town of Weymouth and Father Bill’s & MainSpring, which received a $75,000 award from CCRI. The two-story property includes six single room occupancy (SRO) units (each with a kitchenette), a community room with a full kitchen, a laundry closet, common restrooms and an office for the case manager from Father Bill’s & MainSpring, a longtime partner of NWSOMA. This home is thriving in the community and is a model for other towns to replicate in the future.

NWSOMA Executive Director Robert Corley attributes the ongoing success of projects such as the Weymouth Veterans Home to the strong partnerships the organization maintains with community members, local cities and towns, and partners such as MassHousing.

“Support from MassHousing through programs such as the Center for Community Recovery Innovations helps ensure that we are able to continue our work year after year to create stable homes with supportive services through creative and comprehensive approaches to ending homelessness, particularly for US Military Veterans, in our community,” he said.

Since 1996, NWSOMA has developed and assisted in the development of 50 homes on the South Shore with a preference for Veterans and their families. Eight more Veterans’ homes under development now. Father Bill’s & MainSpring partners with NWSOMA on these projects, providing emergency and permanent housing, job skills training and other services in southern Massachusetts. Along with transforming vacant, blighted neighborhood eyesores into new, energy-efficient homes and green spaces to support formerly homeless Veterans, NWSOMA also works to raise public awareness of Veterans’ dire predicament and break down the stereotypes that act as barriers.

About CCRI

CCRI issues an annual Request for Proposals (RFP) to solicit projects for funding. The proposals that are selected need to meet CCRI’s current priorities, which include Veterans and women with children. The grants are typically used as one-time gap funding for capital projects that increase or improve the stock of affordable sober housing. Programs that provide services to address alcohol and/or drug abuse or addiction. CCRI grant recipients must be nonprofit organizations and matching funds must be provided.

To date, CCRI has awarded more than $10 million in grants for the creation or preservation of more than 2,100 units of substance-free housing, in 50 communities, serving recovery populations that include men, women, families, Veterans, the homeless and ex-offenders.

http://masshousing.typepad.com/my_weblog/2017/11/ccri-supports-more-than-500-housing-units-for-veterans.html

SourceMassHousing Blog

Dedication ceremony for Agawam ‘Soldier On’ facility brings hope and homes to vets (photos)

Soldier On, the Pittsfield-based nonprofit dedicated to ending veteran homelessness by providing permanent, supportive, sustainable housing, held a dedication ceremony Monday afternoon at the Gordon H. Mansfield Veterans Community facility, 702 South Westfield St., in the Feeding Hills section of Agawam.

The former Western Massachusetts Regional Police Academy has been transformed into affordable housing for 51 veterans, including 49 partially furnished units in the renovated academy and two units in a new annex to the building.

U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Springfield, Agawam City Council President James P. Cichetti, and state Secretary of Housing and Economic Development Jay Ash were among those who spoke at the dedication ceremony.

In the absence of Agawam Mayor Richard A. Cohen, who was traveling back from Boston at the time of the event, Cichetti welcomed the large crowd of dignitaries to Agawam for the ceremony, including veterans and local and state officials.

“On behalf of the City of Agawam, welcome home,” Cichetti, who’s running for mayor, said to the veterans. The candidate praised former state Rep. Rosemary Sandlin for getting the legislative process rolling.

Ash credited Congressman Neal for his ability to get things done for his constituents in Western Massachusetts. “Richie Neal is legendary for delivering things back home to his district,” Ash said.

Ash spoke on behalf of Gov. Charlie Baker, saying nobody who ever wore a U.S. military uniform “should ever struggle to find a place to live.”

State Sen. Donald F. Humason Jr., R-Westfield, state Rep. Nicholas A. Boldyga, R-Southwick, and state Secretary of Veterans’ Services Francisco A. Urena were among the many officials in attendance.

When it was Neal’s turn to speak, he said the dedication of the new facility marked a “great day for Agawam and a great day for Soldier On.” Neal, dean of the state’s congressional delegation in Washington, praised Agawam officials for making the necessary zoning changes to accommodate and support the project.

Linda Mansfield, a member of the Soldier On Board of Directors and wife of the late Gordon H. Mansfield, whom the building is named for, was also on hand.

Gordon Mansfield, a former deputy secretary of Veterans Affairs, was a Pittsfield native and highly decorated Army veteran who survived two tours of duty in Vietnam. As company commander of the 101st Airborne Division, Mansfield sustained a spinal cord injury during the 1968 Tet Offensive, for which he received the Distinguished Service Cross — the second-highest personal decoration for valor in combat.

In July 2010, the former police academy building was transferred to Soldier On through state legislation, allowing for the development of permanent affordable housing for veterans at the Agawam site.

The Agawam project was approved in 2015, with construction beginning in March 2016. The roughly $14 million project was financed through state and federal historic tax credits, in partnership with companies such as Citizens Bank and the Stratford Capital Group.

Soldier On staff will be on site to provide daily support to veterans. The organization also has facilities in Pittsfield, Northampton and Chicopee.

http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2017/09/dedication_ceremony_for_soldie.html

SourceMassLive.com

Western Mass. Nonprofit Seeks To Build Homeless Female Vets Back Up

LouAnn Hazelwood was fleeing her second abusive marriage when she found one of the nation's few transitional programs for homeless female veterans. (Rebecca Sheir/American Homefront Project)

The federal government estimates that on any given night, 3,000 to 4,000 female veterans are homeless.

But that estimate is probably on the low side, according to Sara Scoco, who directs the Women’s Program of the western Massachusetts-based nonprofit group Soldier On.

“When people are doing homeless counts, they’re going to shelters, they’re seeing people on the street,” Scoco said. “A female veteran is not the person you see on the street holding a sign.”

Instead, she’s holing up in her car or couch surfing at friends’ houses. She might be a single mom, or she may have experienced sexual trauma.

“The issue of female veteran homelessness is so under-looked, understudied,” Scoco said. “It’s not understood because it’s not in your face all the time.”

So Soldier On decided to do its part by building a transitional housing facility just for women.

In a bright and airy three-story building on the Department of Veterans Affairs campus in Leeds, the Women’s Program houses 16 women. It caters to their special needs with things like art and yoga classes, support groups and job counseling.

“A lot of women that come to us have really lost everything,” Scoco said. “They’ve lost all sense of hope. And so all of what we do is build them back up.”

Scoco said all of the residents suffered some sort of trauma before, during or after they served.

Sixty-one-year-old LouAnn Hazelwood, who was in the Army in the 1970s and ’80s, said her verbal, physical and sexual trauma started early in life.

“I more or less wanted to join the military as a way of escape,” Hazelwood said.

But she experienced more trauma in the military and after she got out. When she came to the Women’s Program, she was fleeing her second abusive marriage and was so traumatized she didn’t speak. Being only around women made her feel safer.

“For me, it was a way of recouping from all the abuse that I went through,” Hazelwood said. “I have yet to totally trust being around a man.”

Page, 33, is another resident of the program. The former Air Force technician asked that we not use her last name.

She struggled with depression and self-esteem issues long before she enlisted. She thought being in the military might help.

“I was thinking I was going to get some sort of approval and pat on the back,” she said. Instead, Page got verbally harassed — called “whore,” “fat” and “bitch” — and she fell into a culture of drinking.

“I remember going through Walmart after work one day; this is when I was drinking,” she recalled, “and I wanted to crawl under a rock and die because a lady stopped with her daughter and pointed to me and said, ‘See, honey? That’s a hero.’ “

Page confided in a therapist, but she said he threatened to have her thrown out of the military. In the end, she was allowed to resign with an honorable discharge.

After rotating through several coed detox programs for vets, she found the Women’s Program.

“I haven’t had a drink since,” she said.

By 2020, the number of female veterans is expected to reach 2.2 million. So Soldier On’s Scoco said there’s an intense need for more gender-specific services. But demand for women-only services vastly exceeds supply. For the 16 rooms in western Massachusetts, the Women’s Program often has a waiting list and has received referrals and applications from as far away as Hawaii.

“There are women who have served the hell out of our country, and they’re not being recognized, and they need to be,” Scoco said. “They need to be treated, not the same way as males, but they need to be treated. Period.”

This story comes via the New England News Collaborative and was first published by the American Homefront Project.

This segment aired on June 2, 2017.

http://www.wbur.org/news/2017/06/02/female-homeless-veterans-soldier-on

SourceWBUR

State Approves Funding for Affordable Senior Units in Beverly

Beverly will gain 30 affordable units for low-income seniors as part of more than $15 million in state funding announced by the Patrick Administration on Friday.
Department of Housing and Community Development Undersecretary Aaron Gornstein announced the funding, which will create more than 235 new units of “supportive housing for veterans, homeless and very low income households” across the commonwealth. The Patrick Administration has now funded 3,065 “supportive housing units,” according to a press release.
“Governor Patrick has made permanent supportive housing a high priority because it is a key part of the solution to reducing homelessness over the long-term. By providing a range of support services — which may include workforce development, education, child care, or mental health services — our local non-profit partners can help to ensure a successful and sustainable tenancy,” he said.
The Beverly portion will fund Harborlight House, which is a “supportive housing project serving frail low-income seniors who need various services in order to live with some degree of independence. The sponsor is an experienced non-profit, Harborlight Community Partners. When rehabilitation is finished, the project will house 30 seniors in a prime Beverly location,” according to the press release.
According to the press release by the Patrick Administration:
“Supportive housing helps individuals and families that are homeless or facing homelessness, institutionalized or at-risk of institutionalization, people with disabilities and the elderly. Additionally, the agencies continue to assess the extent of public cost-savings generated as a result of providing permanent supportive housing and will recommend strategic reinvestments.
“In addition to a providing housing for families, supportive housing, which is operated in conjunction with a network of non-profit agencies across the Commonwealth, can include services such as childcare, access to job training, mental-health care and other opportunities that give participants a hand up towards stability and success.
“Alongside these new supportive housing units, the Patrick Administration also awarded 149 project-based vouchers from the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program (MRVP). The vouchers are available to owners of existing, affordable rental properties, who provide services or partner with an agency that has experience with successfully stabilizing homeless or very low-income households.
“The MRVP vouchers allow homeless families to move into existing housing developments with long-term affordability restrictions. The non-profit agencies that own the properties provide participating families with comprehensive supportive service programs to help ensure that they do not fall back into the cycle of homelessness and emergency shelter, while helping them move toward stability and self-sufficiency. Funds for supportive services in the amount of $2,500 per unit will be used to provide a wide array of services, including job search and training, financial literacy and planning, self-sufficiency training and coaching, counseling, parenting, early education and childcare, mental health and addiction treatment, adult education, and GED and skills training.”
“The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has recognized the importance of creating quality supportive housing for communities in need and has been pro-active in creating an active pipeline for these projects,” said Roger Herzog, executive director of the Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation (CEDAC). “The awards that have been granted today will make sure that both much-needed housing and services are available to homeless families and individuals, persons with disabilities, veterans, seniors, and youth, among others.”

SourceBeverly Patch

Soldier On in Northampton gets $280,000 to help house veterans

The Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation has approved a total of $280,000 in financing to the non-profit Soldier On, Inc. for veteran housing in Northampton.
With this funding, the organization will develop two supportive housing projects on the campus of the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in the Leeds section of Northampton to aid formerly homeless veterans, according to a press release from the corporation.
The $140,000 Front Money Loan will go to developing the Gordon H. Mansfield Veterans Cooperative Housing project. The four-building permanent housing project will consisting of 44 one-bedroom units and provide supportive services to formerly homeless veterans in the area.
Several local organizations will partner with Soldier On to provide many of these services, which will include case management, education and vocational training, substance abuse treatment, and life skills development.
“For years, Soldier On has been a leader in providing permanent supportive housing and services to veterans in need,” said Roger Herzog, the corporation’s executive director.
“This project’s design – which has been pioneered by Soldier On – will serve as a model for the Department of Veterans Affairs so that it can be replicated on similar sites across the country. This is just one of the many examples of how this effective organization is going above and beyond for servicemen and women in need.”
Also located on the VA Medical Center Campus, the Leeds Transitional Veterans Housing project received $140,000 in funding from the corporation.
The facility will provide transitional housing to 16 formerly homeless individuals, many of which are expected to be single women or mothers with children. The project will include 16 bedrooms, four communal kitchens, and eight shared bathrooms. Of the 16 bedrooms, 12 will be handicap accessible and 3 will have sleeping lofts to accommodate mothers with children. Additional supportive services will be offered using an integrative treatment program for those battling post traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse, and trauma.
“Over the past several years, organizations like Soldier On have learned a great deal about providing effective housing and services to homeless women,” said Herzog. “The organization has identified a need to develop a program specifically targeted to the growing number of homeless female veterans and we are pleased to be partnering with them on this important and innovative project.

SourceMassLive

Gov. announces $25M in housing for veterans, others

Vietnam War veteran Richard Yarde listened intently to Gov. Deval Patrick as he announced millions of dollars in funding to create affordable housing for veterans in communities across the state and in Haverhill.
Yarde’s thoughts soon turned to a time 15 years ago when he was in need of an apartment he could afford and was referred to Veterans Northeast Outreach Center in Haverhill. He also thought about the many veterans he’s met in recent times who’ve told him they need the same kind of helpful hand in finding safe and affordable housing as he did so many years ago.
“It’s absolutely wonderful,” Yarde said about Patrick’s announcement yesterday at Veterans Northeast Outreach Center on Reed Street.
“This will give veterans what they deserve for their service to their country,” Yarde said. “For many, it will be a start as a lot of returning veterans come home and live with family as a lot of them can’t afford the cost of market-rate housing. And in addition to housing, they’ll have opportunities for job training, retraining and other services that Veterans Northeast can provide.”
Yarde, house manager for the Veterans Mansion on Cedar Street, a program of VNOC, said the 27 new units planned for the Mount Washington neighborhood should fill up as quickly as they are built.
“Most housing is not affordable for a lot of veterans and trying to find a job that will support them in the current economy is almost impossible,” Yarde said.
Patrick was in Haverhill yesterday to announce more than $25 million in funding to create over 335 new units of supportive housing for veterans, homeless and very low income households across the state. He said the funding is part of an aggressive plan by his administration to end chronic homelessness of veterans.
The governor also announced that with these units, his administration has reached its goal of creating 1,000 units of permanent, supportive housing in Massachusetts a year early. Patrick made the announcement at the Reed Street campus of Veterans Northeast Outreach Center, which will receive funding assistance in creating 27 new units of housing for veterans.
“Government’s role is to help people help themselves, and I am extremely pleased that we have reached out ambitious housing goal early, ensuring that more of our families have the resources to get back on the feet,” Patrick said to a crowd of people that included other state officials along with city officials and members of Veterans Northeast Outreach. “Helping our most vulnerable families transition into stable housing is vital to supporting our economy and creating a stronger Commonwealth for the next generation.”
The local organization that provides a range of services to veterans and their families plans to begin construction this summer of 27 additional units of affordable rental housing in the Mount Washington neighborhood, where it is based.
John Ratka, executive director of Veterans Northeast Outreach, said that nationally, there is no larger single demographic that has a greater need for affordable housing than veterans and their families.
He said his organization works with veterans in their early 20s to those in their 80s who have a need for affordable housing as some are low-income and some are living on disability compensation.
Mayor James Fiorentini addressed the crowd as well saying this new housing project is part of the city’s ongoing efforts to revitalize the Mount Washington neighborhood.
Fiorentini told The Eagle-Tribune that police have instituted additional patrols in the area to combat crime, while other quality of life initiatives include the revitalization of Swasey Field, which has a new water park that is expected to open this summer with more improvements planned.
“We’re also instituting more street sweeping and inspections of vacant housing,” Fiorentini said.
On Jan. 15, the city’s Zoning Board of Appeals unanimously approved the application for a Comprehensive Permit submitted by the Veterans Northeast Outreach Center to create more housing for veterans.
Ratka said the $5.7 million project involves creating 27 affordable rental units on three sites in the Mount Washington neighborhood. The largest, a two-story building with 18 enhanced studio apartments, will be built along the Reed Street side of the parking lot for VNOC, which is located in the former St. Rita’s Church at 10 Reed St.
Ratka said a three-story building is planned for 74 Temple St. and will provide six, one-bedroom units with six off-street parking spaces, while a three-story three-unit building is planned for 17 to 19 Tremont St. and will provide one two-bedroom apartment and two three-bedroom apartments with five off-street parking spaces.
The two smaller buildings will be located within a hop, skip and a jump from Veterans Northeast Outreach Center so that veterans don’t have to travel far to receive any of the many support services this agency provides.
The architect for the project, Davis Square Architects of Somerville, designed the buildings to blend in with neighboring homes, many of which are flat-roofed multi-family homes.
“We want them to look like part of the neighborhood,” said Michelle Granick, a project architect with Davis Square Architects.
The project’s engineer, Joe Peznola of Hancock Associates in Danvers, said the homes will have many green energy-saving features such as high levels of insulation, high efficiency heating and cooling systems and light reflecting roofs.
Peznola said construction contracts will be going out to bid and that he expects construction to begin as early as this summer, with a possible opening next spring.
Ratka said a lot of careful planning went into the size of the project and how it would affect the neighborhood while maintaining the history of the St. Rita’s property for those who have lived in the community for a long time.
The project is a collaboration between Veterans Northeast and the Coalition for a Better Acre (CBA), based in Lowell, Ratka said.
The non-profit community development corporation has developed 425 affordable rental units, 33 commercial units, and more than 50 units for first-time home-buyers in Lowell, Ratka said. The Haverhill initiative is CBA’s first residential development project outside of Lowell.
Madeline Nash, CBA’s director of real estate, said the CBA will be seeking funding through the Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program and other state affordable housing development sources. Pre-development financing has been provided by the Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation (CEDAC). Funding for this project is from The North Shore HOME Consortium, the city of Haverhill and the state’s Housing and Preservation Stabilization Trust Fund.

SourceEagle Tribune

Patrick Cabinet focus on workforce

Patrick Cabinet focus on workforce
By Sandy Meindersma CORRESPONDENT

STURBRIDGE — With a common goal of strengthening communities through a qualified and engaged workforce, three of Gov. Deval Patrick’s Cabinet secretaries discussed what they were doing to get it done at a conference Thursday.

Gregory Bialecki of Housing and Economic Development, Joanne Goldstein of Labor and Workforce Development, and Matthew Malone of Education were the keynote speakers at the Commonwealth Workforce Coalition annual conference at the Sturbridge Host Hotel and Conference Center.

“Massachusetts is recovering stronger and faster than the national average,” Mr. Bialecki said. “There are more people working now than there were in the spring of 2008, the last high point, and we are only one of seven states to be in that position.

Mr. Bialecki said manufacturing, which has a long and storied history in Massachusetts, continues to grow here.

“There are over 7,000 manufacturers in Massachusetts, and if you’re a skilled machinist, I can get you a job in less than 30 seconds,” he said.

Mr. Malone said the key to economic growth is partnerships among institutions.

“There is a partnership between Mount Wachusett Community College and NYPRO in Clinton, where the students are being taught advanced manufacturing, and it is seamless,” he said. “The future is hands-on, practical applications of science, technology, engineering, arts and math, and these partnerships are happening now.”

Mr. Malone said the focus of the state’s 15 community colleges is being revised, to align curriculum with 21st-century jobs and prepare students with employable skills.

Ms. Goldstein said a new careers pathways committee is being established to close the gap between employer needs and employee skills.

“We will have an important menu of tools that can be accessed by our education and workforce partners to help understand what jobs are in demand and where, the occupational skills and knowledge needed for jobs and the type of talent pool we have in Massachusetts to fill those jobs,” Ms. Goldstein said.

She said grant programs are available to train employees, including a $2,000 grant for companies who hire veterans that need additional training.

SourceWorcester Telegram & Gazette

D Street affordable units for veterans get new funding

September 25, 2012

South Boston
D Street affordable units for veterans get new funding
By Patrick D. Rosso, Town Correspondent
Twenty-four new affordable apartments for veterans will be built in South Boston after a private-public community development finance institution, announced a financial commitment to the Patriot Homes project.
“Greater Boston remains the area of the state where we see the greatest demand for affordable housing,” Roger Herzog, executive director of the Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation, said in a statement. “It is encouraging to see affordable homes being preserved and created in Cambridge and Boston.”
The South Boston Neighborhood Development Corporation, which received the $200,000 loan, will lead the project to redeveloped the vacant South Boston Police Station along with Caritas Communities.
The 24 units on D Street will be a mix of studios, one bedrooms, and two bedrooms. The construction will be LEED certified, according to the Project Notification Form filed with the Boston Redevelopment Authority.
In addition to the new units, the 21,258-square-foot project includes 10 parking spaces and will provide stable housing for veterans, some of whom were formerly homeless.
—
© 2012 NY Times Co.
URL: http://www.boston.com/yourtown/news/south_boston/2012/09/d_street_affordable_units_for.html

SourceBoston.com, South Boston Edition

Hilltown CDC loan key to affordable housing grant

Monday, April 30, 2012
Hilltown CDC loan key to affordable housing grant
By THE DAILY HAMPSHIRE GAZETTE
Staff Writer

CHESTERFIELD – The Hilltown Community Development Corporation took a step toward obtaining a $2.4 million housing grant last week when it was awarded a $75,000 pre-development loan from the Boston-based Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation.
Hilltown CDC’s housing director, Paul Lishcetti, said landing the loan is key to being able to apply for a grant from the Department of Housing and Community Development for housing developments in Williamsburg and Chesterfield.
“We are just crossing our fingers that we get the grant, ” he said.
The assistance corporation is a community development finance institution that provides technical assistance and loans to non-profits for housing.
Before pursuing the grant from the state, the Hilltown agency must provide pre-development specifications such as architectural, technical and legal information. The $75,000 will fund this research.
The money will be used in part to help create five units for homeless households, including the first three units in the Hilltown region specifically reserved for homeless families and two units for homeless veterans. “There is a four-unit rental property on South Street in Haydenville that we are interested in buying,” Lishcetti, said. “The other properties that will be remodeled or rehabilitated are 13 South Main St., and 148 Main St. in Haydenville, and 12 Williams St. in Williamsburg. Each of those properties has three rental units.
Lishcetti said the CDC also hopes to add a unit to a building at 397 Main Road in Chesterfield which currently has 7 units.
Lishcetti said his agency has seen a marked increase in people with lower incomes over the past few years who are in danger of becoming homeless.
“More people are now in need of lower-income housing. Prior to 2008, I have no recollection of people coming in and saying they are about to be foreclosed on,” he said. “We are also seeing a lot more homeless vets that we are renting to.”
Over the last several years, the Hilltown agency has developed 17 new or rehabilitated homes in the Hilltowns. The agency owns 30 units of rental housing in the Hilltowns including apartments in renovated buildings in Haydenville, Williamsburg, Chesterfield and Huntington.
“Many people think that there really is no problem with homelessness in the Hilltowns because people typically end up in shelters in other towns like Northampton or in other communities,” he said. “This is all part of an effort to help the people with the greatest needs in the Hilltowns.”

Daily Hampshire Gazette © 2011
URL: http://www.gazettenet.com/2012/04/30/hilltown-cdc-loan-key-to-affordable-housing-grant

SourceDaily Hampshire Gazette

Foreclosed Fall River property becomes homes for low-income residents

April 17, 2012
Foreclosed Fall River property becomes homes
for low-income residents
By Deborah Allard
FALL RIVER —People have started moving into the new Eagle Community Care Estates, a rehabilitated 17-unit complex of permanent affordable housing created specifically for veterans, homeless families and people with low income.
The Eagle Street property had been in foreclosure. Community Care Services refurbished the complex, providing residences for people in need while preventing further blight in the neighborhood.
“A lot of people need housing,” said Thomas Fisher, president and CEO of Community Care Services. The Taunton-based social service agency offers behavioral health services, residential programs for foster children, housing placement and more. Ppening an affordable housing complex is a brand new endeavor — a project outside the norm for an agency such as Community Care Services.
“This is a long time coming,” Fisher said. “This is a very different world than social services.”
Community Care Services partnered with the Women’s Institute to learn more about housing and economic development. Then it became involved with Community Economic Development Assistant Corporation for funding — the same company that worked with St. Dominic’s Apartments and is currently working with the YMCA to create affordable housing.
“This was an interesting program,” said Roger Herzog, executive director of CEDAC. “We encourage these partnerships. It’s really rare to have one organization who can do it all.”
The new Eagle Community Care Estates cost about $3.5 million. It is made up of three buildings with a common courtyard. It offers remodeled two- and three-bedroom units, and will have an on-site case manager to work with residents who need various services.
Tenants will pay 30 percent of their income. Veterans will be given preference for eight of the 17 units, while the remainder will house Fall River residents and homeless families.
“This is really an important program for Fall River,” Herzog said.
Dave Souza|Herald News
The property at 159 Eagle St. has been renovated for use as residences for low-income residents.
Funding and help came from a variety of sources, including CEDAC, the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development, MassHousing, the Home Funders, Bridgewater State Bank, the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston, Franklin Square House Foundation, Charlesbank Homes Foundation, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the city of Fall River.
Fisher said Community Care Services has provided a shelter program in Attleboro for the past 25 years. Ten years ago, it became involved in ways to prevent homelessness. “The need is just amazing,” Fisher said.
He said Community Care Services will be able to provide housing for tenants who were homeless or in jeopardy of losing their homes, and can also offer them other services, like education, employment, and substance abuse programs.
“They can put down roots,” Fisher said. “It will allow them to establish goals.”
For information about Eagle Community Care Estates and an application for housing, visit or call 508-821-7777.
Email Deborah Allard at dallard@heraldnews.com.
URL: http://www.heraldnews.com/archive/x304762707/Foreclosed-Fall-River-property-becomes-homes-for-low-income-residents#ixzz1sOrKoNRJ
Copyright 2012 The Herald News. Some rights reserved