From State Senator Ed Gomes:
Sen. Gomes: Supportive Housing Projects Will Help Hundreds of Families; 179 supportive housing units to be built by 2014, 30 in Bridgeport
State Senator Ed Gomes (D-Bridgeport), Senate Chairman of the General Assembly’s Housing Committee, praised Governor Malloy and the State Bond Commission today for approving a landmark $30 million in state funds for the construction of 179 new units of supportive housing in five cities across Connecticut.
Senator Gomes said that today’s investment would help improve the lives of hundreds of struggling families and individuals over the course of many years to come.
“For decades, Connecticut failed to make any real investments in affordable housing. Too many units were neglected and fell into disrepair, but that is changing under the new administration. The state has recently pledged a total of $420 million to affordable housing over the next ten years. That will make a huge difference in the lives of countless low-income families and senior citizens,” said Senator Gomes.
He continued, “What happened today is part of that ten-year commitment. Supportive housing does more than just help people in need find an affordable place to stay. It also helps them find a job, and to take care of their health problems. Hundreds of struggling families will benefit from these new units over the years to come, and I couldn’t be happier about it,” said Senator Gomes.
Supportive housing helps to address the root causes of long-term homelessness by combining safe and affordable rental homes with individualized health, support, and employment services. These efforts save the state money by reducing the need for more costly interventions, such as emergency room visits, homeless shelter stays, and encounters with the criminal justice system.
The 179 new supportive housing units will be built in five cities across the state, as follows:
Supportive Housing Initiative Projects Project Name Location Units Cost Jefferson Commons New London 12 1,730,600 Val Macri New Haven 17 2,099,000 Francis Xavier Plaza Waterbury 20 6,141,000 570 State Street Bridgeport 30 5,800,000 Cosgrove Commons Hartford 24 4,560,000 Begg Commons Waterbury 76 7,618,000 Contingency Costs - - 2,051,400 Total 179 30,000,000
Bravo Bridgeport Neighborhood Trust and Mutual Housing Association of Southwestern Connecticut for the partnership that will build the 30 new housing units on the old Chevy place on State Street. BNT is also going to have their offices there. Bravo!
*** I’ll believe it when I see it! ***
Seven million Americans have lost their homes since 2009 so what constitutes affordable housing remains a mystery to me.
Close to $200,000 per unit for a pork barrel project for two agencies, BNT and Mutual Housing that have been largely ineffective in this City. What a waste!
There are so many more creative and efficient ways to use this money for housing and neighborhood development in this City. No debt on any of these units (I presume, there may be more loaded on) means just a big subsidy for salaries for these agencies. This is the site of the old Katz Building.