Nonprofit to open Mechanic Street apartments soon

MARLBOROUGH -- The Employment Options apartment house on Mechanic Street will soon open its doors to low-income workers, and the agency hopes the neighborhood will open its arms to its newest residents.

The Marlborough nonprofit helps people with special needs and mental illness overcome obstacles to employment, one of those barriers being the lack of affordable housing. For years, it has been planning these six apartments at 153 Mechanic St., but delays in getting federal money stalled the project.

The money finally arrived and Employment Options broke ground in November. By the end of the summer it hopes to give 10 people a new home. Tomorrow, the agency plans to meet with residents to discuss the project's progress.

"The neighborhood has been so patient with us," said Executive Director Toni Wolf. "For so many years, this has been an empty lot. We're excited to show people where we are."

Ward 5 City Councilor Maura Navin Webster, who represents the neighborhood, will hold the meeting at 7 p.m. in Room 108 of the Walker Building, at 255 Main St. She said she wants the neighborhood to know what is happening.

"I think people are genuinely curious about who's moving in -- it's obviously a big house, a beautiful house," Webster said. "We have a great neighborhood, and we want to make sure that everyone feels welcome, and that everyone's on the same page."

Specifically, Wolf said, she wants to dispel rumors that the home will house sex offenders, parolees, or anyone else with criminal histories. "We do not have anyone with that kind of background," Wolf said.

The home's occupants will be people who already live and work and the area, but who have fallen victim to the region's unforgiving housing prices, Wolf said. She said many of Employment Options' clients live in substandard housing, or single-room-occupancy buildings.

Wolf said the agency is still figuring out who will get to sleep in the 10 beds -- spread among four two-bedroom, and two one-bedroom apartments. The federal Department of Housing and Urban Development will subsidize the apartments, and residents will pay 30 percent of their incomes as rent.

Wolf and Webster are talking about having a neighborhood block party, once the project is finished.

"We really want to be a part of the neighborhood," Wolf said.

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