Service contract called step toward relocation of Crystal Ave. residents
New Haven agency will give tenants assistance
New London — The New London Housing Authority has reached a milestone in its quest to abandon the troubled Thames River Apartments by approving an agreement for relocation services for families at the 124-unit complex.
The Housing Authority’s board of commissioners voted Tuesday to approve a $400,000 contract with the Housing Authority of New Haven, known as Elm City Communities, and The Glendower Group, its redevelopment arm. They will provide relocation assistance and counseling services for the 360 residents of the federally subsidized Crystal Avenue high-rises.
A contract could be signed as early as this week.
Personnel from Elm City Communities are expected to take their expertise in relocation of residents from their own city and apply it here in New London. Shenae Draughn, director of special projects for the Housing Authority of New Haven, said her agency has relocated more than 2,000 families into newer units over the past decade as the authority has updated its housing stock.
The agency also has taken on relocation for outside developments, including relocation of residents of a 300-unit federally subsidized complex called Church Street South in New Haven, the target of a lawsuit alleging deplorable living conditions.
Draughn said one of the first steps for her agency after a contract is signed is to start interviews with the
“The New Haven Housing Authority ... is really the only agency in the state that has the capacity to handle a project of this size. We’ve never seen another agency in this state do as much relocation, and relocation in terms of volume and speed.” JENNIFER R. GOTTLIEB-ELAZHARI OF HUD’S HARTFORD OFFICE
residents to assess their needs and with landlords to assess what housing is available.
The relocation of the residents is one of the criteria in a so-called demolition disposition application that the New London Housing Au-
thority is working to complete and submit to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The authority hopes the end result will be the demolition of the high-rises and issuance of tenant protection vouchers, or portable federal Section 8 rent vouchers, that residents can use at apartments in or outside of New London.
The approval of the agreement came Tuesday during a meeting at Thames River Apartments, where tenants were not the only ones with some lingering questions. The board voted 3-0 on the agreement, with members Kathleen Mitchell and Stephanye Clarke abstaining.
Mitchell said the agreement was presented to the board without any prior discussion or details about where the $400,000 would come from.
Some residents said they were hopeful but somewhat confused by a process that has yet to yield results.
Residents have complained for years of unsanitary and unsafe conditions at the complex and joined in a class-action lawsuit against the New London Housing Authority in 2006 that ended with a stipulated agreement in 2014 for new or improved homes. Last year HUD downgraded the authority’s status from standard performer to substandard.
The attorney representing the residents, Robert Reardon, last month filed a motion to reopen the suit based on a lack of movement by the city and Housing Authority and the failure by a developer chosen by the authority to build new homes. Residents still complain of rodent and insect infestations, mold and a lack of consistent hot water.
Mayor Michael Passero, who has raised alarms about a pending crisis and has worked behind the scenes with Human Services Director Jeanne Milstein and Housing Authority board Chairwoman Betsy Gibson to fast-track movement out of the deteriorating apartment complex, said the agreement represents real progress.
Passero said in addition to the appointment of a new housing executive director, the city now has strong ties with agencies such as the state Department of Housing and HUD.
“I’ve been getting a good deal of education in housing authority matters and we’ve been struggling to resolve the issues that we face here at Thames River,” Passero said. “What this represents is a new partnership, a partnership that we didn’t have for many years with agencies we need to work with. We’re all working together now to improve the quality of life here.”
Jennifer R. Gottlieb-Elazhari, a program center coordinator in HUD’s Hartford field office, also expressed optimism about the New Haven authority’s ability to complete the work.
“The New Haven Housing Authority ... is really the only agency in the state that has the capacity to handle a project of this size,” she said. “We’ve never seen another agency in this state do as much relocation, and relocation in terms of volume and speed.”
City Council members Anthony Nolan and Efrain Dominguez attended Tuesday’s meeting and offered words of support for the residents.
“Each and everyone here, you’ve been held down for a very long time,” Dominguez said. “We’re going to get this process going as quickly as we can. Eventually your quality of life ... will change.”
Thames River Apartments resident Kiona Green said she was encouraged but still uncertain when things might start happening.
“I do see some progress, but I’m still confused as a resident,” she said. “Do we sit back and wait?”
Commissioner Jeanette Parker, who also lives at the high-rises, said it was a positive development for the residents.
“We’re almost there,” she said. “Who wants to take a cold shower next year? We want to get on up out of here.”
New London Housing Authority Executive Director Roy Boling said the authority does not have all of the $400,000 on hand but plans to pay the New Haven authority incrementally as work is completed. The source of the funding is not clear, but Boling said there are alternatives that include bonding the funds. The city cannot yet leverage the value of the land where the high-rises are located because of HUD restrictions, he said.
The New London Housing Authority expects to submit the demolition disposition application to HUD by the end of June. Personnel from the New Haven authority will start work once a contract is signed, Boling said.
He said he understands the frustrations of residents because of promises in the past but called the partnership with New Haven a “critical step in the process.”