Employment Options to Ground Break Privately Owned Housing Project

Marlborough, MA - Employment Options, Inc. will soon be bringing the benefits of quality affordable housing to members of the Options Clubhouse. This $1 million project is to be developed on 153 Mechanic Street, on a currently vacant lot owned by Options Properties, a subsidiary of Employment Options, Inc. Construction of this new two-story building will start this fall.

A lack of affordable housing and the limited scale of housing assistance programs are the primary causes of homelessness. This project aims to encourage other agencies to commit to meeting the needs of the community, whether it's through developing local homes or simply voicing the need.

Funding for this project has been provided by the Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Facilities Consolidation Fund, and Federal Home Loan Bank, and has received continuous support from the City of Marlborough, local agencies and neighbors.

According to Jim Grasberger, Development Director, Employment Options, "This project was undertaken to provide low-income individuals quality affordable housing, safer neighborhoods, and easy access to jobs and family needs."

Project details

Designed by architect Gorman-Richardson, the project is a 5781 sq. feet independent living facility to house 10 individuals. The building will contain 6 apartments - 4 two-bedroom apartments and 2 one-bedroom apartments. A first floor two-bedroom apartment will be handicapped accessible per MA Architectural codes and the Federal Americans with Disabilities Act. A residential sprinkler system will also be installed for full fire protection. Additionally, adequate space will be provided for handicapped and resident parking.
Apartments will be made available for rent at 30% of a members' individual income, while the rest will be covered by HUD.

Meeting a community need

"A large number of near homeless individuals live in Marlborough. Employment Options realized the importance of addressing the needs of this population and decided to build supported, quality affordable housing to serve this group.

In keeping with Employment Options' philosophy of lifetime membership and long-term supports, this project will offer permanent homes for individuals with disabilities; and as always, Employment Options will be there to offer services based on strong relationships and alliances with an existing network of staff, members and local partnerships" says Toni Wolf, Executive Director, Employment Options.

The non-profit aims to start construction this Fall and apartments should be ready for occupancy in summer 2004, benefiting individuals who are homeless or at a risk of losing their employment due to lack of housing options.

A groundbreaking ceremony will be held on Tuesday November 25, 2003 at 11 AM on the project site located on 153 Mechanic Street.

Employment Options, Inc. is a non-profit agency, serving adults with mental illness and other challenged populations in the Metro West region. Employment Options believes in an individual's right to independent and dignified living, and provides meaningful services ranging from employment, education, housing, deaf and family services to social needs.

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