North Stonington takes step in affordable-housing push

New nonprofit represents yet another tool in move to supply residents with more options

North Stonington — The town has a new player in its effort to support affordable housing.

Last month Keeping North Stonington Affordable, a nonprofit established by a group of town residents, officially was granted 501(c) (3) status. That designation enables the group to pursue grants and other sources of funding that the town otherwise would not be able to. The nonprofit plans to use the funding to acquire land and help develop affordable-housing projects in town.

The presence of the new organization represents yet another tool in North Stonington’s push to supply residents with affordable-housing options, joining the town’s already very active Affordable Housing Committee.

“I think we recognized that having affordable housing is important to the town for people to be able to stay here,” First Selectman Mike Urgo said in explaining the Board of Selectmen’s support for the nonprofit, adding that affordable housing is important in helping people come or stay in town, be it younger people wanting to relocate, families just starting out or aging people on fixed income. “This is a means to

help us cross the finish line.”

Urgo added that although the town’s Affordable Housing Committee has been fantastic and one of the most consistent in following through on its goals, it isn’t able to acquire grants or do some of the other things that can help a project come to fruition.

“We hope, with the creation of the group, they can work with developers to help a project come together,” Urgo said.

Involved residents

Founded by a group of residents who were involved with the committee, Keeping North Stonington Affordable’s effort to gain 501(c)(3) status began in February, when the five directors of the organization started working on its application for nonprofit status.

The idea of starting a nonprofit gained support from town officials including the Board of Selectmen, who offered funding to help pay for the cost of the 501(c)(3) application. That application was then sent in March.

However, where usually it takes months and sometimes years for a group to have its application approved, thanks to the assistance of Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, and the selectmen’s endorsement of the organization, Keeping North Stonington Affordable’s request was expedited and, on June 15, officially was validated as a 501(c)(3) organization.

“It’s been a long process, but our time frame in receiving nonprofit status has been speedy,” said Mary Anne Ricker, one of the group’s directors. ”Now the handwork is ready to begin.”

Ricker said the goal of the fledgling organization is to develop and increase the availability of deed-restricted affordable housing in town, something that is sorely lacking, as only 1.2 percent of North Stonington’s current housing stock is deed-restricted affordable.

“North Stonington residents are spending much more than they comfortably should on their basic housing needs,” Ricker said, citing housing data from the Partnership for Strong Communities, which showed that 39 percent of renters in town spend more than 30 percent of their income on housing, while 31 percent of homeowners do the same.

This creates a serious cost burden on residents, Ricker said, because households that spend more than 30 percent of their income on housing have little left over to cover necessities, such as health care and food.

Early stages

Although still in the early stages, Ricker said the new nonprofit already has begun applying for grants. She said the next step is to continue aggressively pursuing grants and working in conjunction with the Affordable Housing Committee on a series of informal sessions intended to educate residents about Keeping North Stonington Affordable.

Ricker said the idea of these sessions is to give residents a better idea of who this new organization is and what it’s able to do, so that when the time comes that a project is proposed, residents will know whom they’re working with and will be more likely to support it.

“We’re concerned people who have been concerned for some time about our town,” Ricker said of the people behind Keeping North Stonington Affordable. “We would never do anything outside of the character of our town.”