Rhode Island builds new homes for disabled vets

From Providence Business News:

PROVIDENCE, RI -– U.S. Senator Jack Reed and Providence Mayor David Cicilline joined Operation Stand Down, Rhode Island Housing, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the Housing Resources Commission (HRC) and the state Department of Mental Health, Retardation and Hospitals to celebrate the completion of new homes for disabled veterans. The partners hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house at 20 Bissell Street in Providence, which will soon be home to 10 local veterans and their families.

“Our veterans and their families have made great sacrifices for our country and it is our mission to support them,” said U.S. Senator Jack Reed, a former Army Captain who serves on the Appropriations Committee and helped boost federal funding for the HUD 811 program, which finances the construction of new homes for persons with disabilities. “This effort is about providing veterans with a helping hand, homes for their families, and the promise of a brighter future.”

“We owe a debt of gratitude to the brave men and women who have defended our country,” said Providence Mayor David Cicilline. “We welcome this opportunity to provide them with affordable homes while strengthening the neighborhood through the restoration of this property.”

20 Bissell Street consists of 10 homes for rent: six one-bedroom apartments, two two-bedroom apartments, and two three-bedroom apartments. Each of the homes has refinished wood floors, new kitchens, bathrooms and energy-efficient windows, and those on the first floor are fully handicapped accessible. They will be available to disabled veterans earning up to 50 percent of the area median income, or $36,600 a year for a family of four. A HUD Project Rental Assistance Contract is making this possible by paying the gap between rents and operating costs.

“The homes at 20 Bissell Street will not only provide 10 families with nice, healthy apartments they can afford, they will also connect 10 disabled veterans with vital supportive services, as well as transportation,” said Richard Godfrey, Executive Director of Rhode Island Housing. “With so many foreclosed properties in Rhode Island being bought by investors, many Rhode Islanders – our workforce, veterans, disabled, seniors, students – are finding it harder than ever to find a home. Properties like this make it possible to help families find homes they can afford, while enhancing the community as a whole.”

Rhode Island Housing acquired the decades-old apartment building and placed it in the agency’s Land Bank, enabling Operation Stand Down to assemble the financing needed to rehabilitate the property. It was then sold to Operation Stand Down, which began an extensive rehabilitation of the building. Financing sources included $1,500,800 in HUD 811 funds, $500,000 from the state Housing Resources Commission’s Building Homes Rhode Island (BHRI) program, and $664,588 in Thresholds funds provided by Rhode Island Housing and the state Department of Mental Health, Retardation and Hospitals.

“Every veteran deserves a home that he or she can afford,” said Nancy Smith Greer. “These units will provide additional housing opportunities for men and women who put themselves in harm’s way so we can all enjoy the comforts of home.”

“These homes come at a critical time as large numbers of veterans are returning from Iraq and Afghanistan in need of services such as housing, mental health counseling, and job placement,” said Craig Stenning, Director of the Department of Mental Health, Retardation and Hospitals. "Service-provider organizations, already stressed by the large number of homeless veterans from the Vietnam War, Operation Desert Storm, and other military conflicts, have expressed concern about this inevitable increasing need.”

20 Bissell Street will promote independent living by integrating veterans and their families into an already established neighborhood. It will increase the supply of permanent supportive homes for people with disabilities and improve disabled veterans’ access to quality public and private services and facilities. Specifically, the building will be supported by a variety of on-site and off-site services and will also provide transportation to services as needed.

The energy-efficient renovations completed at 20 Bissell Street greatly improve the appearance of the once-deteriorating building and remove a long-standing neighborhood eyesore, which benefits the entire community.

"We know that having a safe, affordable home is key to health and security,” says Susan Baxter, HRC Chair. “The Commission is pleased to participate in this effort to provide homes and services for veterans and their families."