By Journal Staff
The Board of Trustees of the Revere Affordable Housing Trust Fund (AHTF) held its regular monthly meeting last Wednesday evening, September 10, in the City Council Chambers. Chair Joseph Gravallese was joined by Treasurer Anayo Osueke and fellow board members Dean Harris, Lori Manzo, Judy Gosselin, Matt Wolfer, Deb Frank, and Laila Pietri.
Osueke presented the treasurer’s report. He said the AHTF has a balance in its account of $913,996.44.
The members then discussed the Senior Citizen Home Repair program, for which the AHTF approved funding in July. The program is offering a limited number of grants of up to $5000 to assist eligible senior homeowners with necessary home repairs or accessibility improvements to support aging-in-place.
A generous donation from former House Speaker and Revere State Rep. Robert DeLeo of $12,500 was matched by another grant of $37,500 from the AHTF’s funds for a total of $50,000 available for the program on a first-come, first-served basis.
Gravallese noted that applications, which have been delayed because of technical snafus, should be available shortly on the city’s website.
Eligible projects include the installation of grab bars and handrails, the installation of stair lifts and ramps, critical roof repairs, plumbing and heating repairs, installation of air conditioning, electrical upgrades for safety, and walk-in shower conversions.
Applicants must be owner-occupants who are 60 years of age or older and who meet income guidelines. Staff at the Senior Center will be available to provide assistance with the application process.
The members next discussed an update on the RFP for the five properties that were taken by tax title by the city and declared as “surplus property” by the City Council and turned over to the AHTF for sale. Gravallese noted that one of the five properties may be advertised shortly. The goal of the program is to find developers who will build affordable housing units on the lots.
The next item was a discussion of the Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) loan program being proposed by the AHTF. This program will provide forgivable loans of up to $10,000 to occupant-homeowners to construct an ADU that the homeowner agrees to rent out at an affordable rate pursuant to HUD guidelines for five years. The goal of the program is to serve the dual purposes of providing rental income to allow lower-income homeowners to remain in their homes and adding additional affordable housing units in the city. A final vote on the program, for which the AHTF will be providing the funds, will be taken up at the AHTF’s next meeting.
The members then discussed adopting guidelines for applications for affordable housing projects for which the AHTF would be willing to provide financial support. The proposed criteria would limit each proposal to $150,000 per year, with an emphasis on using AHTF funds to support the preservation or creation of housing for existing Revere residents. This shift in policy, if adopted by the members, would represent a sharp contrast to the award of about $500,000 to the purchasers of two condos (about $250,000 each) that the AHTF appropriated last year to subsidize the purchase of their condos.
“This definitely is better than the way it’s been, where people have come in…and we kind of make decisions,” said Harris. “There could be other people out there with other ideas who haven’t come forward and this gives everybody an opportunity to present their ideas to the trust fund.”
Harris then briefly provided an update regarding ongoing projects by the Revere Housing Authority (of which Harris is the Exec. Director) to reposition the RHA’s federal portfolio to create additional vouchers and funding, including the possible construction of a 26-unit building where there presently are two, three-family homes on Shirley Ave.
Gravallese concluded the meeting by mentioning the potential of an affordable housing project on a vacant lot of land on Fenno St. near the highway that is close to the Chelsea line.
