Groundbreaking Begins on Winter Grove Housing Project

The waiting list for elderly residents seeking help in finding affordable housing in Southington continues to grow, now reaching larger than 200 people according to Councilwoman Cheryl Lounsbury. Help and opportunity is on the way.

NeighborWorks New Horizons, in partnership with town and state officials, have broken ground on a 40-unit, 35,000 square foot apartment building on Darling Street, one that Seila Mosquera of NeighborWorks said will provide a partnership with the town and state to bring affordable housing to the elderly.


“This is one of the last section 202 housing projects approved here in the state and it has been years in the making,” Mosquera said. “All apartments will serve low-income elderly renters, 62 years and older, with targeting at one-person households with tenants paying no more than 30% of their income for rent and utilities.”

The Winter Grove project, located on a 1.37-acre property near the Summer Brook apartments on Darling Street, will include a laundry area, lounges, a craft room, a community room and tenant storage designed according to EnergyStar standards, she said.

Louis Perillo III, economic development coordinator for the town of Southington, said this is a project that will help provide diversity and needed affordable housing to the community. He said the project has been a true community effort and has been led by NeighborWorks, a group that has spent the better part of a decade working with federal legislators to secure funding.

The town, state and developers secured funding through the state and federal departments of Housing and Urban Development to support the development through shared loans, officials said.

Mosquera said one of the factors that helped secure the money was the growing need in Southington. Across the state, figures indicate that by 2015, more than 12 percent of the population will be over 65. Southington already boasts a population that includes a 24 percent elderly population, according to 2010 census data.

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal said despite the stigma that surrounds the term affordable housing, the project would serve to provide a diverse base and help keep current residents that are in desperate need of housing while using little in terms of public services.

“This is a real partnership with a commitment to prosperity and quality of life in the community,” Blumenthal said. “The effect this will have is irreplaceable.”

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