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DHCD Weather Assistance Program grant awarded to Uxbridge Stimulus funding supports grant for Housing Authority February 17, 2010 ... Sen. Richard T. Moore, D-Uxbridge, Rep. Jennifer Callahan, D-Sutton, and Rep. Paul Kujawski, D-Webster, recently announced that the Uxbridge Housing Authority will be receiving $132,110 for heating system replacements in the Housing Authority’s Veterans Parkway and Waterman Apartments facilities in Uxbridge. The Award is being funded largely through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Weatherization Assistance Program. The program provides eligible households with full-scale home energy conservation services. "The members and staff of the Uxbridge Housing Authority are to be commended for pursuing these funds since it will save future energy costs and provide a warm, cozy environment for the residents who live in these apartments," said Sen. Moore. “Working in partnership to use federal stimulus funds in this manner demonstrates that the needs of our affordable housing tenants remain a priority,” said Rep. Callahan. “I join my colleagues in acknowledging the important work the Housing Authority does on behalf of all the residents.” “Let me commend the initiative of those working on behalf of the Uxbridge Housing Authority for their success in attaining valuable resources that will improve living conditions of their residents,” said Rep. Kujawski. “Each and every recipient will be in line for a state of the art efficient upgrade that will improve their quality of life.” $25 million of the federal dollars given to the Weatherization Assistance Program have been reserved for public housing in Massachusetts. The Veterans Parkway and Waterman Apartments in Uxbridge were rewarded with the money for brand new heating systems after going through a competitive application process. The grant of $131,110 will assist the tenants at both facilities in their heating payments, as each resident is responsible for their heating costs. With a modernization and replacement of the heating units, each facility’s update will result in cost-effective energy savings that reduce the tenants’ heating costs. “With the economy being as bad as it is, this is really a God-send,” said Maura McCrohan, Chair of the Uxbridge Housing Authority. “This is such wonderful news; this funding will help us so much.” Households that are eligible for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP or Fuel Assistance) are eligible for the Weather Assistance Program. Uxbridge and other communities’ eligibilities are based on a maximum gross annual income not to exceed 60% of the Estimated State Median Income. Priority of service is given to those households with elderly, disabled, children (6 and under), LIHEAP high-energy users, and Native Americans. |
