State funds for homeless vets' apartments coming together

Griswold - Members of the American Legion Post in Jewett City never lost hope that they would eventually build apartments for homeless veterans at their hall, even when the state put the funding for new supportive housing projects on indefinite hold.

"We had to have some faith and some hope and just keep trying," said Bill Czmyr, chairman of the Legion's group focused on building supportive housing for local homeless veterans. "No door was actually closed on us. They just said everything was tight, but no one ever said there was no funding."

In late 2008, the state postponed issuing grants for new supportive housing projects, citing a poor economy and a tight budget. The LaFlamme-Kusek American Legion Post 15 had asked for a $5.2 million grant from the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority to build 18 apartments for homeless veterans at their South Main Street hall.

Friday, Czmyr received a letter from CHFA that said the authority would allocate $3.86 million for the project. The Department of Economic and Community Development plans to offer $500,000 if the project satisfies all federal requirements.

Gov. M. Jodi Rell said in a statement Friday that she supported funding this "important project," which "meets our housing goals of helping all of Connecticut's citizens find affordable housing, especially veterans who have sacrificed so much for others."

U.S. Rep. Joseph Courtney, D-2nd District, helped secure $200,000 in federal funding last year for the project. The tenants' rents will be paid by federal VA housing subsidies, which ensure the long-term viability of the facility, Courtney said.

"While it took more than two years to realize this critical and needed support from the state, this is nonetheless a great day for struggling veterans in eastern Connecticut," Courtney said in a statement.

Czmyr said the plan is to start construction in August, after the post raises money to do some initial site preparation and demolition. It will take about 11 months to build the apartments, he added.

Another project for homeless veterans is under way in New London. The New London Homeless Hospitality Center used a grant from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to purchase a four-family house where homeless veterans will live while they navigate government programs, find work and look for more permanent housing.

The center expects the first veterans to move in on June 1.