Vernon Housing Complex Nets $2 Million Grant For Renovations

VERNON, CT — U.S. Rep Joe Courtney, Gov. Ned Lamont and Connecticut Housing Commissioner Seila Mosquera-Bruno Monday announced that the Connecticut Department of Housing is releasing $13.4 million in grants to seven municipalities for infrastructure upgrades that will modernize and rehabilitate housing for low and moderate-income individuals. A complex is Vernon was among the seven.

Awarded through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Community Development Block Grant Small Cities program, eligible projects are required to be in a municipality with a population of fewer than 50,000 residents. The grants will advance the preservation and development of affordable housing, modernize a domestic violence shelter, enhance services to the most vulnerable residents in their communities, and also help to create and retain jobs, Lamont and Courtney said.

"These housing grants go a long way to improving neighborhoods so that we can make our communities more attractive and encourage continued growth for the benefit of all our residents," Lamont said. "I thank Connecticut’s Congressional delegation and the Biden administration for prioritizing the CDBG Small Cities program, which provides necessary support for our smaller communities."

The awards are about improving lives, the commissioner said.

Mosquera-Bruno added, "Whether it’s helping a family to complete essential renovations on their homes, such as repairing a leaking roof, making a senior living facility ADA compliant, or improving the habitability of a domestic violence shelter, CDBG Small Cities funding is an important program. This funding is essential and without these dollars, we would likely be unable to assist as many of our low and moderate-income residents as they make these kinds of repairs."

In Vernon, $2 million will help, renovate the Grove Court & Grove Court Extension complexes, Lamont said. The scope of work consists of asphalt roof replacement on all buildings. New seamless white aluminum gutters with leaf screens and downspouts will also be installed to divert the water away from the building's foundation. Asbestos abatement will also be performed in all buildings.

Additional work to be funded by the CDBG funds include upgrades to the existing ADA units for current compliance and renovation of six units total to achieve the required 10 percent compliance for ADA accommodations. The community room laundry and bathrooms are also scheduled to be renovated to meet current ADA compliance design requirements.

"These new federal grants will modernize and upgrade several of our highly prized public housing units in eastern Connecticut, making them safer, healthier, and all-around better places to live," Courtney said. "This is great news for many local seniors and families, and it’s a huge win for the Towns of Griswold, Suffield, Windham and Vernon. This federal support is going to have a big impact on upgrading affordable housing for these municipalities, and it’s precisely why I"ve always voted to support the CDBG for Small Cites program in Congress. Glad to see these resources coming home to eastern Connecticut."