Work Begins on Affordable Housing Development

Equipped with brand new shovels, officials form Cambridge, Harvard and St. Paul's parish participated in a ground-breaking ceremony for a new low-income apartment building project on Mt. Auburn Street last Friday.

Although other developments in Harvard Square offer some affordable housing, the new project will be among the first completely dedicated to low-income housing in the immediate area.

After several speakers addressed the 40-person audience in front of the parish rectory, the major contributors to the parish rectory, the major contributors to the development ceremoniously shoveled a scoop of dirt in front of the building.

"It was a wonderfully exciting, long awaited and totally positive occasion," said Father John Boles after the celebration.

The old rectory of St. Paul's parish was old to Harvard in July 1989 on the condition that it be dedicated to affordable housing. A year later, the church and college selected Cambridge Housing Authority to convert the buildings into 19 one-person apartments and two family units.

The single apartments, which will be ready for use in 15 months, will be available only to elderly and disabled tenants who are 50 percent below the median income level. Tenants will be charged 30 percent of their income for rent.

The housing project's $1.36 million total budget was funded by the Executive Office of Communities and Development, the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Cambridge Historical Commission.

The project is intended to raise awareness of the community's social responsibility to provide affordable housing for all its residents.

"Housing is always a problem," said Mercedes Evans, member of the St. Paul's Parish Selection Committee "We try to do a little something to contribute...to bring a sense of community."

And the officials at the ground-breaking all agreed on the success of the project and praised the collaborative efforts of the city, the parish and the University.

"This ground-breaking is earth-shattering," said John Shattuck, vice president for government and community affairs. "There's a vision for housing instead of homelessness, a home instead of despair, a pulling together not apart."

City officials expressed thoughts similar to Shattuck at the ceremony.

"We're standing in the midst of a true miracle," said Mayor Kenneth E. Reeves '72 "It's a great day when a dream is at the beginning of its realization."

Officials said they were pleased with the compliance and involvement of the community in the project--especially considering that the development is the only one completely dedicated to affordable housing.

"There's always the 'not in my back yard' idea," said Shattuck. "But this is unique, and hopefully it will offer other possibilities."

Some officials attributed the enthusiasm of the community to the original Cantabrigian immigrant Irish community which built St. Paul's church by donating one dollar a week per family to pay for each brick of the building. "All participants have come together in a great way to produce a beginning," said Boles. "The people of Cambridge historically come form very poor people. They have sympathy because they know what it is to be poor."