Mayor Joe Ganim on Monday was joined by Congressman Jim Himes, U.S. Senator Dick Blumenthal and Connecticut Housing Commissioner Seila Mosquera-Bruno for a ribbon cutting at the Hanover Homes, nine units of affordable housing in the West End shepherded by Jillian Baldwin, executive director of Park City Communities that manages Bridgeport’s public housing program.
Property description from state housing website:
The project is a nine-unit affordable housing development for low-income families in Bridgeport, CT. This development encompasses three adjacent three-family homes located at 344, 350 and 354 Hanover Street, Bridgeport, CT.
The combined site area is 0.21 acres. Each dwelling unit will have three bedrooms. One unit in each building will be American Disability Act (ADA) compliant. Buildings will utilize EnergyStar heating/cooling and appliances, as well as solar arrays on roofing to supplement energy demand. The buildings will have a slab on grade-foundation and wood-frame structure.
The exterior will have vinyl siding and double hung windows, and the roof will have architectural fiberglass shingles. The interior will have luxury vinyl plank floors. The project location is in hurricane inundation (storm surge) zone and within priority and balanced priority funding area. Phase 1 ESA didn’t find any Recognized Environmental Condition (REC) for the site except an offsite property at 332 Hanover Street. No other Environmental concerns were identified.
Why is Jillian Baldwin, introducing this subject of affordable housing to the community on video? She is the Chief Executive of Park City Communities, formerly known as the Housing Authority of Bridgeport, and funded along with the employees by Housing and Urban Development Department, not by Bridgeport taxpayer-residents. There is a City Board called Park City Communities but representatives likely have need of more participation because of vacancies and communication to fellow citizens about how grants are provided to wanting citizens, the acreage and value of properties owned directly by the Housing Authority, Baldwin Holdings or H. U. D. for the more than 5,000 residents who currently occupy units in the city of Bridgeport.
Where do the officials on this video see an organization with qualified citizens participating in democratic governance in the city after more than 20 years of failure by a succession of mayors to appoint residents to a Fair Housing Commisssion? Do residents of affordable housing as renters look to the Fair Rent Commission, reorganized by the City Council about three years ago, or another group?
Civic engagement meetings in Bridgeport feature problems, issues, and concerns, from residents about elevator disruptions, changes in agreements, laundry room issues, security processes that do not keep residents safe, parking space allocations, etc. when they are regularly held. But operating self-governance is not a purpose as it is when Neighborhood Zones are created and staffed by residents. Why are highrise and other HUD structures not encouraged to establish, with guidance, such groups?
Especially at this time in American history where the Federal government is warning citizens about cuts to Social Security, reductions in Medicaid/Medicare, and and limiting HUD support of housing, it is time to attend to fellow citizens in our community. Time will tell.