Federal Grant To Fund Improvements For Vets Housing In Vernon

VERNON, CT — A federal grant is pumping more than a half-million dollars into a stately mansion in Vernon that now serves as a veterans housing complex.

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), a member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, announced the $642,000 grant for the Chrysalis Center's Phelps Village.

It is located at 1 Ellington Ave.

Phelps Village is located on a row of old homes that dates back tp the Victorian Era heyday of Vernon's mills. It fell into disrepair and was approaching eyesore status when, in 2011, it was renovated and saved from the wrecking ball.

It is now designed to be a "safe and secure home" to 21 formerly homeless veterans. Residents in the program are placed by the Chrysalis Center, Inc., a private non-profit health care facility based in Hartford that provides rehabilitation and supportive services to the greater Hartford and Waterbury areas. The center provides services for both families and individuals.

The federal funding will be used to make repairs that include fixing a deteriorating chimney, installing new lighting and security systems, replacing a rear patio door and other "essential" improvements, according to Blumenthal.