DARTMOUTH — Today, Lt. Governor Karyn Polito was joined by state and local officials to announce a $275,000 MassWorks Infrastructure Program grant to the Dartmouth Housing Authority to support the Mendes Monteiro House, a proposed affordable housing development to be built on the Dartmouth Housing Authority’s Anderson Way campus.  Also today, the Baker-Polito Administration announced a $110,000 MassWorks Predevelopment award to the town of Dartmouth to fund the development of plans for an affordable housing development at the intersection of Reed Road and Route 6.    “This combination of awards through the MassWorks program will provide significant support for utility upgrades that will have a direct effect on plans for much needed affordable housing,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “I want to congratulate Dartmouth and the Dartmouth Housing Authority for receiving these awards and acknowledge the important work they’re doing to help address the Commonwealth’s housing crisis.”   “As these two grants demonstrate, taking full advantage of the One Stop allows communities to continue making progress toward local priorities and our Administration is especially pleased to offer critical support for affordable housing,” said Lt. Governor Karyn Polito.  “I want to commend Dartmouth for their approach to housing and look forward to continuing our partnership to support their goals.”   The Dartmouth Housing Authority’s award will support the installation of utilities including water, sewer, gas, telecommunications, and electricity to within 10 feet of the future location of the Mendes Monteiro House.  At a total development cost of $3.9 million, this affordable housing project will result in 10 new units of affordable housing with supportive services available around the clock.   The project is a partnership between the Dartmouth Housing Authority and the Stone Soup Collaborative, which is leading the development of the project. In addition to utility installation, the infrastructure work will include the extension of a sidewalk to the project site, landscaping, and drainage upgrades.   In a separate award, the town of Dartmouth received a $110,000 MassWorks Predevelopment grant to fund an engineering study to determine the scope of needed sewer upgrades that would support a future proposal for affordable housing at the intersection of Reed Road and Route 6. That proposed development, which would result in 288 housing units, would increase Dartmouth’s subsidized housing inventory to over 10 percent of the town’s total housing stock.   MassWorks is a competitive program that offers cities and towns flexible capital funding to support and accelerate housing production and job growth.  MassWorks is the largest program in Community One Stop for Growth, a single application portal and collaborative review process for grant programs launched in January 2021 to make targeted investments based on a development continuum.   With the addition of this year’s round, the Baker-Polito Administration has awarded 326 MassWorks grants to 181 communities and has invested over $608 million in public infrastructure projects throughout the Commonwealth. These grants have directly supported the creation of 21,000 new housing units and tens of thousands of new construction and permanent jobs, while also leveraging over $13 billion in private investment. 

Including MassWorks grants, the Community One Stop for Growth program awarded $88 million for 196 projects in 122 communities across the Commonwealth in its first year.  Of the 196 projects awarded, nearly one-third were located in a rural or small town, half were located in a Housing Choice Community, and one-third were located in a Gateway City.   “We created the One Stop to offer access to a wide variety of programs through a single, streamlined process that ensures that valuable funds can be directed more effectively, to more communities, in less time,” said Housing and Economic Development Secretary Mike Kennealy.  “The One Stop gives communities and other partners the opportunity to work collaboratively with us, to pursue multiple projects simultaneously and to meet their economic development goals. Dartmouth has demonstrated how applicants can be creative with grant funding to maximize the impact of state investments in transformative projects.  While the first year of the One Stop has shown tremendous promise, the demand for our programs demonstrates that we can do more.”    The full list of this year’s MassWorks grant recipients can be found here.   “The recent MassWorks grant award supporting the construction of the Mendes Monteiro House is a major milestone that further validates the continued efforts by the Dartmouth Housing Authority to create more affordable housing that will provide important support to some of Dartmouth’s most vulnerable residents,” said Dartmouth Town Administrator Shawn MacInnes. “The town of Dartmouth cannot thank the Baker-Polito Administration enough for continuing to be an ally to the town, and agencies such as the Dartmouth Housing Authority, in our shared goal of creating more affordable housing.”   “The Dartmouth Housing Authority is pleased and proud to receive this grant award,” said Connie Desbiens, Dartmouth Housing Authority Executive Director.  “As we all know, the cost of construction has skyrocketed over the past two years. Receiving grants such as these not only help us reach the goal of creating more affordable housing for our most vulnerable population, but also emphasizes the support that such projects are being given by the town and state entities.  We sincerely appreciate all who have helped make this grant a reality and we look forward to putting the shovel to the ground in 2022.”   “These MassWorks grants will go a long way in bolstering housing needs in the town of Dartmouth,” said Representative Christopher M. Markey. “By improving utility research and delivery, nearly 300 new units will provide citizens and future residents alike the ability to affordably join our community for years to come.”

###