Maybe it’s the name

The gala celebrating the 20th anniversary of the northwest Connecticut chapter of Habitat for Humanity Saturday was quite a success (see photo, Page A4). The support given freely to this organization seems at odds with the general feeling about affordable housing in the Northwest Corner, however. The homes built by Habitat are meant for area residents who would otherwise be unable to afford a house in the region, yet there are those who don’t seem to equate them with affordable housing. Habitat quite rightly receives good support from businesses and individuals in the area, but if their homes were called “affordable housing” that support might not be as forthcoming.Once a construction project is labeled “affordable housing,” images are conjured of increased crime and unsavory residents. There are, however, many fine people who make real contributions to the fabric of society in the northwest hills of Litchfield County who can find it an insurmountable challenge to purchase a home or find a rental here. It is not simple for those who work at regular jobs in this region to find reasonable living accommodations close to their work.How many young people who grow up in the Region One towns can remain and find affordable housing once they’re out of school? If they’re not inclined to live with parents, even if they find jobs in Region One towns, it’s likely they’ll need to move to Torrington or out of state and commute to work. This problem has been studied over the years, defined in reports, and some real solutions have even been proposed by groups such as the Salisbury Affordable Housing Committee (SAHC) after much research and discussion. As stated in the committee’s June 2010 report, however, “By far the greatest obstacle to the creation of affordable housing … is convincing Salisbury’s citizens of the needs we have identified. This includes convincing those who will have affordable units proposed in their own backyard that satisfying such needs will not be detrimental to their neighborhoods.”More than a year after the presentation of the SAHC’s useful and extensive report, however, there has not been action taken that will result in the necessary number of new living accommodations for Northwest Corner residents. Recently, Salisbury resident Michael Flint proposed creating affordable housing units in the now-defunct Lakeville firehouse, which is up for sale and according to the town’s selectmen has only one bidder (see July 14 story, Lakeville Journal). This idea would seem to go right along with a couple of the recommendations of the SAHC’s report: “Create affordable housing by using existing buildings wherever possible rather than constructing new ones. As large a fraction as possible of the proposed 200 units should not require the construction of new buildings. Create affordable housing through purchase of existing houses, where appropriate, and conversion of larger houses into multi-unit homes.”Why not give Flint’s idea some credence and look seriously at its practicality? The Board of Selectmen has said it is keeping an open mind about the building and has discussed possible nonprofit uses such as a farmers market or art space. But since worthy nonprofits such as Habitat for Humanity and the Salisbury Housing Trust have not been able to produce enough living units to bring Salisbury into compliance with state requirements for percentages of affordable housing, any credible idea to address this problem should be considered.

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