Work Begins on Affordable Housing for Elderly

by JONATHAN DARLING, Standard-Times correspondent

New Bedford - Coastline Elderly Services broke ground yesterday for the Carriage House at Acushnet Heights, a 34-unit apartment complex offering affordable housing for the elderly.

"People need three things; warmth, food and shelter," said Charles Sisson, executive director of Coastline Elderly Services.  "This project is one more step in meeting the needs of the community.  We have one of the largest elderly populations in the state and we need to get more amore elderly people living independently at home."

Guests packed Saxon Hall at Coastline's office building on Purchase Street for the ceremony, forced inside because of the rain.  The Coastline building is located directly across from the project site, 1675 Purchase St.

Those attending included Mayor Frederick M. Kalisz Jr., Sen. Mark C.W. Montigny, and other city and Coastline officials.

"We've had a continuing strategy to improve housing stock in New Bedford," Mayor Kalisz said.  "Across the city, we want to allow people to stay in their neighborhoods and keep pride in the city, to keep a renewed sense of optimism for all people in New Bedford."

The project, estimated to cost more than $4 million, is scheduled for completion in next fall.  Coastline is working with Community Builders Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to building affordable housing.

"We're providing good, quality housing for seniors with services," said Susan McCann, vice president of Community Builders.  "It's quite a nice vision."

The ceremony was a little out of the ordinary.  Despite being indoors, those on hand put on their hard hats and used gold shovels in the Saxon Hall, pretending to break ground.

Funding for the project came from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Massachusetts Housing Stabilization Fund and New Bedford's HOME fund.

"This is not only exciting, but necessary," Sen. Montigny said.  "Affordable housing is a big problem, especially for seniors.  We want to keep seniors in their homes with dignity and out of nursing homes.  It really is a crisis not only in New Bedford but statewide."

(This story appeared on Page A7 of The Standard-Times on October 20, 2004.)