Seeking funds for essential repairs for affordable housing

WHY IT MATTERS: Affordable apartments for the elderly and disabled at Wangum Village were built in 1975 and badly in need of funds for repair work. 

NORTH CANAAN — Plans to upgrade apartments at an affordable community here will be revamped after it failed to earn state grant funding.

Wangum Village was seeking an $800,000 Small Cities grant that would have been used mainly for interior refurbishing. Construction of the 40 apartments at the end of Quinn Street was completed in 1975. Floor tiles, kitchen cabinets and such are all original. In some cases, cracked or loose tiles and old, inefficient bathroom exhaust fans are causing problems with condensation and water infiltration.

Manager Ashleigh Bergenty said the board of directors will meet soon to discuss an alternative plan. 

“Before we applied for the grant, we talked about doing three units per year,” she said. “That could be an option for now. In some cases, the issues are not just unsightly. We would start with the units where there are problems.”

Bergenty explained that the recent $750,000 Small Cities grant they received was supposed to include the upgrades.

“We had to do handicapped accessibility work first. Five percent of the units had to be accessible, as well as the community hall, which meant we had to expand it. That took most of the money.”

The board is waiting to hear back from the grant writer as to why they were turned down. It could be because they got a grant in the last annual round, and just as likely that it is because requested funds far outweigh total grant funding.

The affordable housing for seniors and the disabled is in a great spot for its residents. It has a quiet spot at the end of a dead end street, yet it is within walking distance to services and shopping. The downside is people don’t know it’s there.

Most also do not know how it operates. It is not HUD (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development) housing or funded by the town. It is under the auspices of the North Canaan Housing Authority’s Board of Directors. Its cash flow comes entirely from  rental income that is based on a percentage of residents’ income. The average monthly rent for the 40 apartments is currently $337.

But that number is fluid, depending on who lives there. Most apartments are occupied by a single person who might pay as little as $140. There are currently two couples in residence who pay about $800 a month. The highest rent is typically just over $400.

Bergenty said a typical month brings just a few hundred dollars in rental income over expenses. It doesn’t allow for much beyond unplanned maintenance.

While Wangum Village does not solicit donations, Bergenty said they can accept them. It could be cash, materials or services.