Sharon, Connecticut is located in the beautiful Northwest corner of the state in Litchfield County. The town currently has a population of 3,052 and continues to grow. There is a need in the community for safe, affordable rental housing to accommodate very low, to moderate income families. Sharon Ridge is a housing complex in Sharon that provides housing for very low to moderate income families in the area. The housing complex is managed for the Sharon Housing Authority by Connecticut Real Estate Management (CREM). 20 units make up the complex, including 2 one-bedroom, 14 two-bedroom and 4 three-bedroom apartments.
In order to accommodate the need for more affordable housing in the area, 12 additional multi-family units were constructed in the Sharon Ridge housing complex. USDA Rural Development partnered with the Connecticut Department of Housing, and the Small Town Assistance Program (STEAP) to make the expansion possible. USDA Rural Development provided a $1,000,000 loan towards the project through its Multi-Family Housing Program. The Connecticut Department of Housing provided $3,149,105 grant and STEAP provided a $165,289 grant towards construction. A dedication ceremony was held on June 24, 2014 to help publicly celebrate all the hard work and planning this project took.
Another important component of the project is the USDA’s rental assistance in the form of subsidies which will be provided to all families that qualify so that tenants will pay no more than 30% of their adjusted family income for housing costs. This is a huge benefit for very low, to moderate income families. 12 very low, to moderate income families are living in the newly constructed apartments in Sharon Ridge as of June, 1st of this year. Of the12 new units, 8 are one-bedroom and 4 are two-bedroom apartments, with two units handicapped accessible and five units handicapped adaptable.
USDA Rural Development in Massachusetts is committed to making access to clean, safe, and affordable housing a reality for rural Americans. Housing is an important foundation which helps to create ladders of opportunity for rural residents across America.