November 2, 2015 - Cardinal, Haverhill Mayor, City and State Officials Dedicate Affordable Housing

Contact:
Lois Alksninis
617.350.8885 x112
[email protected]
 
 
Haverhill—November 2, 2015—Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley O.F.M. Cap., Mayor James Fiorentini and Chrystal Kornegay, Undersecretary for Housing and Community Development, joined the Planning Office for Urban Affairs today to dedicate the redevelopment of the Winter Street School in the Lower Acre neighborhood of Haverhill.
 
"The Archdiocese of Boston, through the Planning Office for Urban Affairs, is pleased to have partnered with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the City of Haverhill on this important affordable housing development that will benefit many people in need”, said Cardinal Seán.  “This project continues the Archdiocesan commitment to Haverhill and to the Merrimack Valley, as it is the third housing development in this City to be developed by the Planning Office on our behalf. We are grateful to all who contributed to the completion of  this new housing. ”
 
The project provides twelve units of safe and affordable housing in the city and reflects new investment in the Lower Acre neighborhood, adjacent to the downtown business district.
 
"I am grateful to the Archdiocese, the Planning Office for Urban Affairs and all those that partnered to bring this project to Haverhill,” said State Representative Brian S. Dempsey.  “The transformation of the Winter St. School into affordable housing units will not only ensure that we provide our residents with access to safe and affordable housing, but it will also contribute to the continued revitalization of our city.”
 
“This wonderful new project is a creative re-use of this old school building, the former Winter Street School”, said Mayor James Fiorentini.  “We are thrilled that this old school building, which served that Lower Acre community for so many years, will be serving the community again, this time as low-income housing.  Low-income housing is a critical need in that area.  We were pleased to work with Planning Office for Urban Affairs to help meet that need.”
 
Named “The Apartments at 165 Winter”, construction began in January and finished in late summer 2015.  Residents began moving into the new units in mid-September and all apartments are rented.  The adaptive reuse has been completed to the Secretary of the Interior Standards for Historic Preservation and the property will be listed on the National Register for Historic Places for its contribution to educating Haverhill’s workforce. 
 
“Projects such as the Winter Street School redevelopment, that offer affordable and stable housing, are an important component to strengthening families and the community,” said Undersecretary of Housing and Community Development Chrystal Kornegay. “I look forward to our continued partnerships with municipalities, neighborhoods, communities and engaged citizens as we work on similar projects to improve housing access in Massachusetts.”
 
The development received funding from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the North Shore HOME Consortium, the City of Haverhill, Bank of America, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Massachusetts Historical Commission and the National Park Service.
 
“We are very excited to be celebrating the completion of The Apartments at 165 Winter, following our great partnership with Representative Brian Dempsey and Mayor Fiorentini on The Hayes at Railroad Square and Harbor Place” said Lisa Alberghini, President of the Planning Office for Urban Affairs”. “This is another truly collaborative effort among the Archdiocese, the City of Haverhill and the Commonwealth, and it illustrates how much we can accomplish working together.”
 
About the Planning Office for Urban Affairs, Inc.: The Planning Office for Urban Affairs, Inc. is a social justice ministry affiliated with the Archdiocese of Boston. The Planning Office strives to create vibrant communities through the development of high quality affordable and mixed income housing. As a prominent regional non-profit developer and a leading diocesan housing development ministry for the Catholic Church in America, POUA has completed nearly 2,700 units of affordable and mixed- income housing and has undertaken several neighborhood revitalization initiatives in Massachusetts.  
 
About the Archdiocese of Boston: The Diocese of Boston was founded on April 8, 1808 and was elevated to Archdiocese in 1875. Currently serving the needs of 1.8 million Catholics, the Archdiocese of Boston is an ethnically diverse and spiritually enriching faith community consisting of 289 parishes, across 144 communities, educating approximately 42,000 students in its Catholic schools and 156,000 in religious education classes each year, ministering to the needs of 200,000 individuals through its pastoral and social service outreach.   Mass is celebrated in nearly twenty different languages each week. For more information, please visit  www.BostonCatholic.org.