State And Federal Funding Sought For Elderly Housing Expansion

By Steve Bigham

Nunnawauk Meadows elderly housing has plans to construct 14 additional units next year and is now seeking to secure public funding to make the plan a reality.

The housing complex, located along the fringes of the Fairfield Hills campus, consists of 120 units for the elderly or disabled with low or moderate level incomes. It sits on 65 acres of land that was donated by the state in 1975 and 1994. Currently, there are 143 people (ages 56 to 93) on a waiting list.

The 14 new units would be added on to Nunnawauk Meadows’ existing community building. In addition to the apartments, amenities such as a doctor’s office, exercise room, library room, and beauty parlor will be added. The plan also calls for the modification of two existing bathrooms and the laundry room for improved handicap accessibility.

Newtown Housing for the Elderly, Inc., the non-profit corporation that runs Nunnawauk Meadows, will apply for both a federal loan and state grant. The federal loan would come from Rural Development (formerly known as the Farmers Home Administration), which provided funds to assist in the construction of Nunnawauk Meadows back in 1975. The first application for funding was approved, setting the stage for the final application phase.

The total development cost for the project is $1.25 million with a total cost per unit at $62,500. Rural Development’s loan is up to $1 million and Newtown Housing for the Elderly is requesting a $400,000 grant from the state’s Department of Economics to help cover the balance. The federal loan will not be approved unless Nunnawauk Meadows can also secure some form of a state contribution.

Nunnawauk Meadows also receives a tax abatement from the Town of Newtown each year.

Executive Director Frank R. DeLucia said the state grant would also help Newtown Housing for the Elderly reduce its loan, which will allow it to maintain affordable rent prices. The current mortgage balance on Nunnawauk Meadows’ existing project is $4 million.

“Without the state grant, we can’t get the federal loan,” Mr DeLucia said.

The federal Rural Development program falls under the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

The project would take about a year to complete.