Our Town, Our Future

Voices from our Salisbury community about the housing we need for a healthy, economically vibrant future

Our Town, Our Future

Amy and Lloyd Hosier

Mary Close Oppenheimer

“I love, love, love it!” says Amy Hosier about living in an affordable apartment at Sharon Ridge. “The place is great. The apartments are beautiful.”

Amy and her husband Lloyd are longtime residents of the Northwest Corner. Amy’s journey took her from the Sharon Pharmacy to working at local hospitals as a certified phlebotomist. However, an injury forced her into early retirement, leaving her dependent on Social Security disability benefits.

Lloyd grew up in Sharon and worked as a custodian at Region 1 schools until his retirement at the age of 70. Several years ago the State dropped his pension plan and gave him a lump sum instead. The money soon ran out so he is now dependent upon Social Security and a small union pension.

For the Hosiers, as for many seniors, retirement has brought a double whammy: dwindling financial resources and skyrocketing housing costs. When a rent hike threatened to upend their lives, Sharon Ridge’s affordable housing offered a lifeline.

They were fortunate to apply in 2017 since today there are 161 people on the waitlist.

For just over $600 a month, Amy and Lloyd enjoy a comfortable two-bedroom apartment, complete with nearby laundry facilities and a sense of community they never expected to find.

They say, “We have really good neighbors. We’re a community. We like that it’s a diverse neighborhood with people of different ages and people with young children.

It’s nice to have little kids playing outside.” They know a number of their neighbors and say they would be there for them in a second if they needed anything. Their neighbors include a teacher, nurse, maintenance man, country club employee, retiree, and a young working couple. “We feel very safe here,” Amy says. “There are no problems, no issues with behavior or the police.”

The Hosiers are part of a growing trend. Approximately 50% of local affordable housing residents are retirees. As Amy and Lloyd’s story illustrates, affordable housing is more than just a roof — it’s a chance to age in place with dignity and remain part of the fabric of the community that has been their home for a lifetime.

The views expressed here are not necessarily those of The Lakeville Journal and The Journal does not support or oppose candidates for public office.

Latest News

A scenic 32-mile loop through Litchfield County

Whenever I need to get a quick but scenic bicycle ride but don’t have time to organize a group ride that involves driving to a meeting point, I just turn right out of my driveway. That begins a 32-mile loop through some of the prettiest scenery in northern Litchfield County.

I ride south on Undermountain Road (Route 41 South) into Salisbury and turn right on Main Street (Route 44 West). If I’m meeting friends, we gather at the parking area on the west side of Salisbury Town Hall where parking is never a problem.

Keep ReadingShow less
Biking Ancramdale to Copake

This is a lovely ride that loops from Ancramdale north to Copake and back. At just over 23 miles and about 1,300 feet of elevation gain, it’s a perfect route for intermediate recreational riders and takes about two hours to complete. It’s entirely on quiet roads with little traffic, winding through rolling hills, open countryside, picturesque farms and several lakes.

Along the way, you’ll pass a couple of farmstands that are worth a quick visit. There is only one hill that might be described as steep, but it is quite short — probably less than a quarter-mile.

Keep ReadingShow less
Taking on Tanglewood

Aerial view of The Shed at Tanglewood in Lenox, Mass.

Provided

Now is the perfect time to plan ahead for symphonic music this summer at Tanglewood in Lenox, Massachusetts. Here are a few highlights from the classical programming.

Saturday, July 5: Shed Opening Night at 8 p.m. Andris Nelsons conducts the Boston Symphony Orchestra as Daniil Trifonov plays piano in an All-Rachmaninoff program. The Piano Concerto No. 3 was completed in 1909 and was written specifically to be debuted in the composer’s American tour, at another time of unrest and upheaval in Russia. Trifonev is well-equipped to take on what is considered among the most technically difficult piano pieces. This program also includes Symphonic Dances, a work encapsulating many ideas and much nostalgia.

Keep ReadingShow less
James H. Fox

SHARON — James H. Fox, resident of Sharon, passed away on May 30, 2025, at Vassar Brothers Hospital.

Born in New York, New York, to Herbert Fox and Margaret Moser, James grew up in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York. He spent his summers in Gaylordsville, Connecticut, where he developed a deep connection to the community.

Keep ReadingShow less