Nearly $31 million is being invested in Somersworth for the rehabilitation and preservation of 169 affordable housing units at Albert J. Nadeau Homes, Filion Terrace and Charpentier Apartments.
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) program is allowing public housing authorities nationwide to begin to address tens of millions of dollars in a backlog of deferred maintenance.
Somersworth RAD, managed by Somersworth Housing Authority (SHA), is the second such program in NH after Dover, which renovated 184 units in 2019. The construction includes the substantial renovation of the existing 169 residential units across the three developments and, in some cases, minor upgrades to the community rooms and/or buildings. The project Architect is CJ Architects in Portsmouth, and construction will be completed by Gary Chicoine Construction Corporation in Weare.
Funding is provided by the NH Housing Finance Authority, NH Community Development Finance Authority, HUD and Evernorth, with additional funding by Community Action Partnership of Strafford County, Eversource and Unitil.
SHA Executive Director Deborah Evans says the project is more than new siding, windows and sheetrock. “It’s about recognizing the impact our partners are making to improve the quality of life for the residents,” she says.
Somersworth Mayor Dana Hilliard says a true community is there for its neighbors. “To modernize this housing reflects the values of a community of caring. As mayor, I celebrate that commitment, having lived some of my earliest years in one of these apartments, just steps away, until my parents could afford their first home. Programs like RAD have a proven track record of changing people’s lives. A true community is measured by the ability of its citizens to come together, to unite, to protect and to offer opportunities for each other.”
The renovations for Albert J. Nadeau Homes and Filion Terrace are scheduled to be competed in fall 2022 and Charpentier Apartments in summer of 2023.
For more information, visit hud.gov/RAD or somersworthhousing.org.
Current Issue - April 2024