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A local affordable apartment complex for seniors will soon see a major investment aimed at improving housing quality for residents, increasing energy efficiency, and guarding against future climate problems.
The $6.1 million award was announced Thursday at Crafton Towers by Acting Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Adrianne Todman, flanked by a host of local officials and housing advocates.
“As we're making these investments, we also have to make sure we're investing in the future: that when the summers are really hot, our seniors are cool inside, when our winters are really cold, our seniors are safe inside,” Todman said. “So these investments are a two-fer — to invest in affordable housing like this building, but also to make sure we're doing it in a way that protects us against the storms and weather events to come. And that, to me, is a smart investment.”
The investment in Crafton — part of the Green and Resilient Retrofit Program funded by the Inflation Reduction Act — was part of a larger $69.1 million round of awards announced Thursday by HUD officials.
The visit by a federal official highlighted how high housing costs have increasingly become an issue in the upcoming presidential election.
The Crafton upgrade will include energy-efficient improvements like new windows, electric, and HVAC systems, lighting upgrades and solar panels, which will generate much of the building’s electricity, said Lena Andrews, vice president of real estate development for local affordable housing developer ACTION Housing.
The 103-unit building is owned and operated by ACTION Housing but receives a federal subsidy to keep rents affordable.
“This project is really about creating a better quality of life in this building so that our seniors can benefit for many years to come,” Andrews said. The structure hasn’t had major upgrades since it opened in 1974.
“Older buildings like this don't always get a lot of attention in the world of affordable housing, but … if we don't invest in preserving what we have, we will never address this nation's affordable housing crisis,” she said.
Resident Joe Cousineau said he was glad to see the funding available for the upgrades.
“It's a beautiful place,” he said. “It just needs some repairs.”
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