(L-R) Robert Corley, Dave Kilnapp (NHS board member), Susan Mazzarella, Rep. Jim Hawkins. Lt. Gov Kim Driscoll, Sen. Paul Feeney.
NeighborWorks Housing Solutions (NHS; www.nhsmass.org), the leading housing service provider in southern Massachusetts, partnered with several organizations to celebrate the ribbon-cutting of the City of Attleboro’s first-ever adult emergency shelter and permanent supportive housing development. Located at 150 Pleasant Street, the development will offer an 18-bed adult emergency shelter and 22 units of permanent supportive housing.
“Today we celebrate the culmination of many years of work on behalf of our most vulnerable,” said Rob Corley, CEO of NeighborWorks Housing Solutions, noting that “support for projects like this start right here at the local level and the city of Attleboro.”
The multi-year project was initially advocated by the Northern Bristol County Assistance Collaborative (NBCAC). The agency partnered with NeighborWorks Housing Solutions (NHS) to address the needs of those experiencing homelessness and establish permanent supportive housing to provide a long-term solution to help end homelessness in the Attleboro community.
In addition to NBCAC, NeighborWorks Housing Solutions partnered with Catholic Social Services to manage and operate the emergency shelter program; Father Bill’s & MainSpring to provide the supportive services for the permanent housing program; BayCoast Bank, a regional community bank that provided a generous grant for project planning and development; and Representative Jim Hawkins, 2nd Bristol District and his staff, who have actively advocated for the project and secured multiple commitments of funding.
NHS was awarded $5 million in development subsidies from the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development. That, coupled with an additional award of state rental subsidies and supportive services, represented the majority of the funds required for the development. In addition, the project received a $2 million grant from Massachusetts Alliance for Supportive Housing.
“This is an amazing project,” said Rep. Hawkins during the recent ribbon-cutting ceremony, pointing to the challenges in seeing it to fruition. “It couldn’t be in a residential or retail neighborhood. It couldn’t be on the side of a former factory. And we found this site – right across the street from Bristol Community College, which has programs for the people that will be living here. It’s walking distance to Sturdy Memorial Hospital, to health service, to The Literacy Center, to The Attleboro Public Library, the YMCA, and it’s on public transportation – we did it!”
“I’m here to celebrate Community Attleboro, getting the job done for your neighbors and for your city,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll “ And that means you’re also getting the job for Massachusetts. Congratulations on an amazing project.”
Also in attendance at the ceremony were: Chris McDermott, Economic Development Director, Attleboro; Chris Thompson, Undersecretary of Housing Stabilization/Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities; Paul Feeney, MA Senator, Bristol and Norfolk Counties; Susan Mazzarella, CEO Catholic Charities Fall River; Steve Duplessie, President, Northern Bristol County Assistance Collaborative; Joyce Tavon, CEO Massachusetts Alliance for Supportive Housing; and Roger Herzog, Executive Director, Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation.
About NeighborWorks® Housing Solutions
NeighborWorks® Housing Solutions is the leading housing service provider in southern Massachusetts. NHS has more than 70 years of combined experience in the community development field and provides services to more than 20,000 households in over 75 cities and towns across the region. In addition to building and managing nearly 800 units of housing for veterans, homeless families and others in need, the agency offers a wide range of housing services, including foreclosure prevention counseling, home rehabilitation loans and grants, financial coaching and first-time homebuyer workshops. For more information, contact call 617-770-5217 or visit www.nhsmass.org.
