Towns getting $3M in grants to upgrade low-income housing

HARTFORD — Two lower Middlesex County towns each received a $1.5 million state grant to upgrade housing infrastructure for low and moderate-income individuals.

Connecticut is awarding a total of $9 million in grants to six municipalities through the Community Development Block Grant Small Cities program, which is administered by the Connecticut Department of Housing, according to a press release. Locally, Westbrook and Essex received support.

Eligible projects are required to be in a municipality with a population of fewer than 50,000 residents, and have a focus on improving neighborhoods, eliminating blight, and attracting economic development, the news release said.

Essex Court will engage in Americans with Disabilities Act accessibility for the community room and laundry room, as well as full accessibility for several units on the campus. Further repairs include roof replacements, installation of heat pumps and water heaters, storm doors with ADA hardware and LED lighting, state Sen. Norm Needleman, D-Essex, said in a statement.

A roofed patio will also be installed to allow for gatherings, and a full campus backup generator will be installed in case of emergency, it added.

Worthington Manor will receive significant updates to the building envelope of the two-story complex, also replacing roofing, gutters, siding and windows in all units. Automatic door openers, vinyl plank flooring and HVAC systems will be either installed or upgraded, while tactile warning strips will be installed at transition points from sidewalks to the driveway and parking area to assist the visually impaired.

“The $3 million in total funding ... will improve the lives of and resources available to residents of those facilities, also adding to their resiliency, and extending the buildings’ usable life spans significantly,” Needleman said in the release.

“These properties serve households with some of the greatest needs,” Department of Housing Commissioner Seila Mosquera-Bruno said.