Women's Institute for Housing and Economic Development

National Fannie Mae Maxwell Award for Excellence Winner

Completed in 2005, Acushnet Commons is the conversion and adaptive re-use of the former Kinyon-Campbell School into 12 family-sized affordable apartments, program space for a local non-profit service provider, and a community center. A long-vacant building in a struggling neighborhood of New Bedford, Acushnet Commons has helped launch revitalization efforts in this community in addition to providing quality affordable housing for low-income families. A great example of a mixed-use project, we were able to create office space for NorthStar Learning Centers, a leading service provider, as well as a community room. NorthStar Leaning Centers’ on-site office space allows them to provide a wide range of programs and services to residents as well as others within the community.

Completed in 2012, The American Legion Veterans Housing, Inc., restored and redeveloped its existing building and built an addition into 18 permanent supportive housing units with a particular focus on creating opportunities to homeless Veterans. The building was restored to its original appearance based upon historic research and the addition was designed to be harmonious in scale and character with the existing structure. This was the first American Legion Post to develop permanent supportive housing in their existing building.

Currently in pre-development, we are partnering with the Berlin Housing Authority to create permanent independent living units for elderly citizens. On-site amenities will include a community room, satellite office of the Housing Authority with space for an on-site resident services coordinator. Supportive services through the resident service coordinator will be incorporated into the development concept to meet the unique needs of the elderly residents.

The Women’s Institute assisted Lazarus House Ministries in the development of Capernaum Place to offer residents of Lawrence, MA a place to call home. By responding to the critical need for housing and supportive services in the area, we created independent housing for 20 families, which opened in 2007. By creating program space for education, job training, children’s programs, counseling, and administrative offices, residents are provided with an array of supportive services and programs. The property incorporates green, sustainable design features and meets Energy Star standards.

Casa Esperanza, Inc. is recognized as a leader in substance abuse treatment and supportive services for individuals and families in recovery. Committed to long-term solutions for people in recovery, Casa Esperanza has added three supportive housing properties and a graduation center to their Roxbury campus with the assistance of the Women’s Institute. Our first collaboration in 2003, Dunmore Place, provides housing for 6 families in recovery. Providing supportive housing is vital to ensure those with substance abuse issues can receive the help they need.  Through the development of Familias Unidas in 2007, 9 apartments were created for program graduates as well as a graduation center which houses ongoing services and support.  In 2011, the Nueva Esperanza project created 14 apartments for individuals in recovery as well as program space for counseling and case management services.

Our long standing collaboration with CHOICE Village celebrated the opening in the spring of 2011 of CHOICE Center at North Village which offers 32 one-bedroom apartments and 5 two-bedroom units for low-income seniors. The two-bedroom units recognize the changing definition of senior housing, which can include elderly parents caring for a disabled child, two elderly siblings living together to support each other, or an elderly couple assisted by an in-home care provider. Seniors living here have access to program space, which allows for on-site case management, meeting space as well as the support of the Chelmsford Senior Center. We also incorporated green features such as a solar panel system, reflective roofing to reduce heating and cooling costs, and other EnergyStar features.

We are currently working with CHOICE, Inc. to create 13 units of supportive housing for Veterans and their families in Chelmsford and Westford. The Westford site is the conversion of a function hall into five apartments. The Chelmsford site will be new construction of eight efficiency units. The project has received significant local funds and zoning approvals from the respective towns, Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston award for the Chelmsford site, a loan commitment from Enterprise Bank, and foundation grants. The project is awaiting funding approval from the state so it can begin construction in 2013.

Completed in 2000, Crescent Field Townhomes was a unique opportunity to partner with the Newton Housing Authority in converting surplus land originally owned by the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority into a vibrant mixed-income neighborhood. Twenty units of energy-efficient townhouses were constructed, including eight market-rate homeownership units, eight first-time homebuyer units, and four units purchased by the Newton Housing Authority for survivors of domestic violence. As the developer, the Women’s Institute was responsible for all phases of project development.

The Dartmouth Housing Authority is converting a former state police barrack into nine efficiency apartments for Veterans. The Women’s Institute is assisting the Housing Authority with its zoning process and securing development funds, and will apply for state funding in 2013.

Community Care Services (CCS), a large multi-service organization based in Taunton and serving southeastern Massachusetts, acquired three contiguous vacant six family buildings in Fall River. We worked with CCS to meet its goal to create seventeen permanent affordable housing for homeless and low income families. Additional space was created to house CCS offices and to provide case management services on site.

The Women’s Institute originally worked with Elizabeth Stone House in 1987 to develop its existing building housing its programs. They have since outgrown their original property and we are assisting with the purchase of a new, larger site for development in Roxbury, MA. The new parcel will afford the opportunity to house their community programs and approximately 25 units of permanent, supportive housing for homeless families.

The Women’s Institute was selected in the fall of 2012 through a competitive Request for Proposal process to expand the Essex Housing Authority’s existing 36 unit elderly housing complex. The development concept includes the new construction of approximately 14 units of either independent living or congregate care senior apartments on the Housing Authority’s existing site. The team has secured a grant from LISC to assess the feasibility of the project.

The Women’s Institute and HOPE Partnership, a nonprofit organization dedicated to developing affordable workforce housing opportunities in the shoreline communities and Middlesex County, partnered with the Town of Old Saybrook to create Ferry Crossing, a new development of 16 townhouse-style rental apartments located in the Ferry Point neighborhood. The development addresses the needs of struggling families, young adults and seniors who wish to live in town. Four apartments prioritize housing for chronically homeless or at-risk individuals, including two units for Veterans. Ferry Crossing is the first project in Connecticut to be developed in an Incentive Housing Zone (IHZ) through the HOMEConnecticut legislation, advanced by the Partnership for Strong Communities.

The former New City Hotel was renovated into a 44-unit supportive housing development in 1996 through the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program. As the project completed its 15-year period of investment by the National Equity Fund, the Human Services Council engaged the Women’s Institute to assist in the recapitalization and investor exit. The moderate rehabilitation entailed restoration and necessary maintenance of the aged exterior, systems and fixtures throughout the building, including common spaces and residential units.

National Fannie Mae Maxwell Award for Excellence Winner

In 1998, GrandFamilies House was co‐developed by Boston Aging Concerns ‐Young and Old United (BAC‐YOU) and the Women’s Institute. The national award‐winning project is the first housing community of its kind in the country, recognized for its innovative approach to housing and supporting intergenerational grandfamilies. The fully accessible House offers 26 apartments for grandparents who are raising their grandchildren, and a unit for the resident manager. It is owned and operated by BAC‐YOU, which has since merged with Nuestra Comunidad Community Development Corporation.

Grinnell Mansion offers senior housing in a renovated historic mansion from the early 1800s. Here, low-income seniors and persons with disabilities live in 17 affordable one-bedroom apartments where they also have access to congregate dining and living space. The building was the former home of a whaling merchant who later served as a four-term congressman. Committed to preserving affordable housing in our communities, the Women’s Institute acquired the property in 2011, and continues to work closely with the original sponsors in providing services and support to our residents.

Completed in 2012, the Women’s Institute has assisted Housing Families with the renovation and stabilization of four of its existing properties.  Developed as supportive housing for homeless families, three of the properties are located in Malden and one is in Medford. With state, local, and provide funding, these 15 units were rehabilitated to meet current life safety and accessibility codes, and increased energy efficiency measures.

In partnership with New Milford Affordable Housing, we developed Indian Field Apartments in 2009, which is comprised of 40 units of affordable housing for individuals and families. The property, which is located near many town amenities, replicates a “town green” design with five townhouse-style structures surrounding an open green space and a community building. The community building offers a place for residents to hold gatherings as well as a space for youth and adult services and on-site property management. Knowing the importance of providing children a safe space in which to play, included in this community is an enclosed playground incorporated into the common green space.

Ingraham Place is comprised of 19 affordable apartments offering supportive housing for homeless families, as well as program/commercial space and a community center. In association with Southeast Regional Network (SRN), eleven homeless families participating in their Family Preservation Program have beautiful new apartments and receive specialized case management services. A community room and kitchen are available to local organizations to conduct programs and activities on-site for residents, as well as the larger community. Our partner, NorthStar Learning Centers, operates an after-school program for 52 children in their indoor and outdoor space, and has also launched a new family visitation center.  An array of services and educational programs are also offered by Neighborhood Housing Services.

Operation Hope, Inc retained the Women’s Institute to help develop Jarvis Court Homes, which transformed a former Navy housing site in Fairfield, CT into four duplex structures. Through the community’s effort to end homeless among families living in the town, all 8 of the three-bedroom apartments are reserved for homeless and at-risk families, and cmprehensive supportive services are available on-site. A neighborhood park is nearby, offering an opportunity for resident children and families to enjoy outdoor activities.

The Women’s Institute purchased Lakeview Apartments in 2011 to preserve work force housing that was in danger of being lost to market rate conversion. This acquisition preserved six affordable rental units in the Village of Lakeville, Salisbury, CT.

Currently in its early planning stages, we are working with the Lynn Housing Authority and Neighborhood Development to assess the feasibility of expanding housing opportunities for low income families.  The current project seeks to provide housing with a preference for Veterans, through the creation of approximately 20 additional units of housing.

Through the formation of strategic partnerships led by CHOICE, Inc. and the Chelmsford Housing Authority, we assisted with creation of five new units of the Lynn Marcella Residences to fill the need for permanent family housing in Chelmsford. The property incorporates a variety of green initiatives, including heating and water systems with greater than 90% efficiency and landscaping that includes drought-tolerant native plant species.

Mary Townsend Seymour Apartments is the development of a former brownfields site into 34 new units of permanent supportive housing for homeless and low-income families, as well as young adults aging out of foster care. Twenty two-bedroom and eight three-bedroom units for families were created, along with six one-bedroom units for single adults. The project also offers a community center and after-school program adjacent to the existing transitional housing program.

The Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) was established for the purpose of stabilizing communities that have suffered from foreclosures and abandonment. NSP grantees must use at least 25 percent of the funds appropriated for the purchase and redevelopment of abandoned or foreclosed homes or residential properties that will be used to house individuals or families whose incomes do not exceed 50 percent of the area median income.

Devon and Bellevue was the first of our NSP projects sponsored by Heading Home Inc. By reclaiming vacant, foreclosed properties, we were able to create permanent supportive two and three bedroom housing for homeless families.  Heading Home provides stabilization services to the families.

Revere Street was purchased by Housing Families Inc. through the use of NSP funds. With our help, Housing Families succeeded in the renovation and expansion of a six-family home into large, family apartments.

Pinck & Co. has engaged the Women’s Institute to conduct a feasibility analysis of converting several floors of this existing building into permanent, supportive housing. This facility provides shelter, single room occupancy housing, meals, employment and job training and support services for hundreds of homeless Veterans each day.

Slated to begin in 2013, the Sharon Housing Authority is developing 12 new units of affordable multifamily rental housing on the site of the existing Sharon Ridge Apartments complex, an existing 20 unit affordable housing complex. The project will entail new construction of three buildings using innovative energy saving features, such as geothermal heating and cooling. In addition to the Expansion efforts, the Women’s Institute’s partnership with the Housing Authority has expanded to securing funding for the existing complex under the Governor’s 10 year $300 million commitment to the State Sponsored Housing Portfolio as well as energy upgrades through the area utility company’s weatherization program.

First Winner of the National Enterprise Innovation Venture Award, highlighting “the tremendous impact possible when diverse organizations leverage their strengths to create projects that no one organization could create on its own” 

The Women’s Institute coordinated a first-in-the-nation project sponsored by the YWCA of the Hartford Region that provides a full continuum of housing, including an emergency shelter, transitional efficiency units and permanent one-bedroom apartments, designed for formerly homeless and low-income individuals. The YWCA of the Hartford Region initially retained the Women’s Institute to do a strategic assessment of its existing housing program. The Women’s Institute assembled over $9 million in public and private resources to create housing for up to 71 individuals. In addition, the Women’s Institute brokered a partnership between the YWCA and Chrysalis Center, a well-respected provider of case management services to very low-income people in the Hartford region. As a result, residents of the redeveloped Soromundi Commons will have access to significantly enhanced services, including employment and training.

The Women’s Institute was contracted to develop refinancing and preservation strategies for nine projects throughout Connecticut that have reached the end of their compliance period under the Low Income Housing Tax Credit program.We are working with each sponsor to assess and plan for individual project needs, continued affordability, and ongoing financial viability. The projects in the program include: Liberty Commons, Middletown; Hudson View Commons and Mary Seymour Apartments, Hartford; Crescent Apartments and Fairfield Apartments, Bridgeport; Colony Apartments and Atlantic Park, Stamford; Brick Row, Willimantic; and Cedar Hill Apartments, New Haven.

The Women’s Institute was retained by the Sudbury Housing Authority to create 11 newly-constructed homes in Sudbury through the demolition of four single family post-World War II homes and redevelopment of the sites using modular construction. Eleven units were created in five buildings, doubling the affordable housing units for families in the area.

National Novogradac Journal of Tax Credits Award Winner 

In partnership with the Housing Authority of the City of Bridgeport, The Eleanor apartments weaves supportive programs and activities within the housing model to provide a spectrum of resident services which include a congregate living program for 35 seniors, on-site case management and supportive programs for residents.  Opened in 2010, the 62 affordable apartments for elderly residents were created through the transformation of the former Park City Hospital. Understanding the importance of green space, we were able to transform the emergency department section into a park-like plaza for all residents to enjoy.  The apartments share property with The Franklin, a 48-unit permanent, supportive housing complex that prioritizes housing for homeless individuals including Veterans.

National Novogradac Journal of Tax Credits Award Winner 

The Franklin offers 48 affordable apartments with supportive services provided by Alpha Community Services, including apartments with a priority for homeless Veterans. The Women’s Institute partnered with the Housing Authority of the City of Bridgeport, which is committed to increasing the availability of decent, safe, and affordable housing in Bridgeport, CT. Completed in 2010, the property is the redevelopment of the former Park City Hospital, in tandem with development of The Eleanor.

Slated to be completed at the end of 2013, Victory Gardens is a 74-unit mixed income, supportive and affordable housing rental development on the campus of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center in Newington, Connecticut. Victory Gardens is one of the nation’s first housing projects to be developed under the VA Enhanced-Use Lease program, which provides for long-term leases of portions of VA lands and buildings for affordable and supportive housing for Veterans. The project will seek U.S. Green Building Council LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) accreditation with the incorporation of numerous sustainability and energy-saving design features. Priority will be given to eligible Veterans and their families, including homeless Veterans and those at risk of becoming homeless.

The Women’s Institute is providing a full range of development services for the YWCA Cambridge, which is undergoing a substantial renovation of its residential and commercial property into 103 units of single room occupancy housing for formerly homeless women and 9,000 square feet of commercial and program space. The renovation will retain the historic character of the property, and modernize all building systems. Renovations will be complete in mid-2013.

To see a complete list of all our our projects since 1981, click here.