The Housing Rehabilitation Program will benefit at least 9 lower income families both within the traditional Merrick target neighborhood, and for the first time this year, those who live in other areas of West Springfield. Three septic system repair or replacement system projects will also be available for lower income residents who are not currently hooked up to public sewer lines. Finally, at least one family having a member with a physical disability will have their home made accessible, thereby allowing the disabled person to function better in their current home.
Beyond assisting the approximately 46 lower income beneficiaries of the home improvements, the program will preserve and stabilize the existing affordable housing stock. Given the very high public cost of constructing new affordable housing, and in the case of West Springfield, very little land available on which to build new stock, it only makes sense to follow our Master Plan and preserve what currently exists.
The preservation philosophy is also the platform on which the Housing Sanitary Code Enforcement Program is based. Though the projections of assistance of up to 600 low and moderate income residents through sanitary code inspection is no small benefit, the program is a very large commitment to preserving the relatively large supply of existing rental housing stock. By insisting (through code inspections) that investor owners maintain their housing units to at least minimum sanitary standards, West Springfield will assure a continuing stock of quality, affordable rental units.
A sidewalk repair and replacement program for the Merrick neighborhood is a tangible investment in the quality of life for all residents living in the neighborhood. Many of the Town’s lowest income residents have traditionally settled in the Merrick area and will probably continue to do so. Recognizing that residents may not be able to afford reliable cars, the Town is making a multiyear commitment to improving the pedestrian pathway system for the 1,845 low and moderate income people who currently live in the neighborhood.
Our social service programs are designed around the four priorities mentioned in the Community Development Strategy. The six social services proposed for funding this year fill “gaps” in the existing social service network and act to expand the safety net for West Springfield’s lowest income residents. Close to 400 low/mod residents will be served by the social service program packets to follow.
All of the activities in West Springfield’s Spending Plan are mentioned as funding priorities in our new Master Plan and Open Space and Recreation Plan or the older, but still relevant, Community Action Statement.
Neighborhood revitalization for the Southeast corner of Town, which has been the focus of CDBG funded programs for the past two decades, is not only based on the discrete bricks and mortar projects we undertake, but also on the feelings of control and pride that residents have in their environment. Our projects over the years have and will continue to foster the development of residents’ perception that they live in decent, safe neighborhoods, thereby contributing greatly to out self-sustaining community revitalization effort.
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