What's New At The Housing Authority? The Need is Greater Than Ever

On the face of it, the Town of Groton Housing Authority annual report isn’t sensational. It could be argued it’s rather perfunctory, until one reads the last paragraph.  

The housing authority is a quasi-public agency that operates 174 units of low-income housing for the elderly and disabled. The authority receives no federal, state or town funding; it is self-supporting. Managed by a volunteer board appointed by the town council, the TOGHA’s operating budget, at $600,000 is supported almost entirely on resident rents (which average $300 a month).  

And while the “physical components of the original units” in the 30 to 40-year-old buildings may be near the “end of their useful life” with the Authority eyeing potential capital funding sources for future improvements, recent capital improvements were made utilizing budgeted monies and ARRA funding.   

So what’s in the last paragraph?  

The housing authority operates at 100 percent capacity and demand for low-income housing (for the elderly) is very, very high, the report reads: “There are always people are on the waiting list.”  

Authored by authority executive director Therese Jourdan and members of the board, the report states that the moment a unit is vacated, it’s cleaned, painted and ready for a tenant.  

“With the downturn in the economy, there has been an increase in demand,” the report to Town Manager Mark Oefinger and the Town Council reads.

“Although many commissioners feel there is a need for more low income housing, there are not enough resources to propose that at this time.”