Housing resource center set to open:
United Way's new agency to help low- to middle-income families
finance home purchases
July 23, 2004; As originally appeared in the Danbury News-Times,
by Brian Saxton
DANBURY
— Fresh opportunities for local people wanting to either
rent homes or own their own are opening up this month in the
city.
Officials
of the United Way of Northern Fairfield County announced Tuesday
the establishment of a new Housing Resource Center on West
Street.
The
center will be "a central point of entry" to help
people find and finance homes, said Kim Morgan, United Way
marketing and communications director.
It
will also assist developers of multi-family housing.
The
program will be operated by the Housing Development Fund,
a private nonprofit group based in Stamford that has worked
in other parts of Fairfield County since 1989.
To
date, the fund has counseled people in more than 2,000 households
— teachers, executive assistants, post office workers
and bookkeepers, among them — and helped 400 low-to-moderate
income families own homes.
Hundreds
of affordable housing units — through rehabilitation
or new construction— have been made possible with fund
financing. They include places for families, seniors and those
with special needs.
The
Danbury center, which will hold an open house Aug. 31, is
being funded by the United Way with the support of Newtown
Savings Bank, Savings Bank of Danbury, Union Savings Bank
and NewMil Bank.
After
community studies done by the United Way showed affordable
housing is a significant issue in the Danbury region, the
organization looked for a way to help people here.
"The
Housing Development Fund already had their own programs in
place, so they had the capacity to get this particular program
up and running quickly and sustain it," said Morgan.
"It was a natural fit."
The
United Way has already announced it will distribute $1.8 million
this year to support 73 local nonprofit programs.
More
than $150,000 is earmarked for its Community Impact Housing
Initiatives.
The
Housing Development Fund is part of the wider Connecticut
Development Financial Institution Alliance. It has provided
more than $22 million in loans.
Joan
Carty, the fund's executive director, said the new center
in Danbury will offer counseling in both English and Spanish,
as well as workshops in subjects such as taxes and home finance.
Carty,
an attorney who has worked in the affordable housing field
for two decades, said several families in the Danbury area
have already sought help.
"We
hope to invite one of them to speak at our open house,"
she said.
Carty
thinks Danbury should prove a rewarding city for the fund's
work.
"There
are a lot of opportunities and a lot of can-do people here
in Danbury," said Carty. "I think it's important
for us to have a physical presence here."
#
The
new Housing Resource Center is located on the second floor
of 8 West St., at the corner of West and Main Street.
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