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Box 699159 Quincy, MA 02269-9159 (617) 786-7000 CONTACT US Affordable space: Loans from Citizens help agency provide low-income housing By JULIE JETTE The Patriot Ledger QUINCY - The hallways are painted a fresh sage green, well lit by simple wall sconces. The kitchen measures about 12 feet by 12 feet, but it comes with a shiny Thomas Nee, Caritas Communities new stove and director of property managment, refrigerator. stands in front of one of two rooming houses Caritas bought and renovated A tidy bedroom - with on Spear Street in Quincy. The affordable housing units were funded the bed neatly made through low-interest loans from and laundry, Citizens Bank. (GREG DERR/The toothpaste and other Patriot Ledger) bathroom sundries neatly arranged on a shelf - is only about the size of the kitchen. But the room’s resident, Jim Andersen, 36, has no complaints about space. ‘‘I was looking around and they wanted $900, $1,000, first and last month (rent),’’ Andersen said of apartments he considered renting. ‘‘If I could even get into that place, I’d be worrying about what I was going to eat, about transport and all that.’’ Instead, Andersen is renting a room for about $550 a month from Caritas Communities, the Braintree-based nonprofit development corporation that purchased and renovated two rooming houses on Spear Street. The Spear Street houses - offering a total of 22 rooms as well as common kitchens and bathrooms - represent the first completed project financed by Citizens Bank under the Providence-based bank’s program to lend up to $200 million in below-market-rate loans -to develop affordable housing in New England. Project developers celebrated with a ribbon-cutting last week, and six residents have moved in so far. More than 125 people have called Caritas to inquire about the rooms. The bank has closed loans on nine projects that collectively involve renovating or creating 145 units of affordable housing. More than 700 additional units of housing in Massachusetts could be rehabbed or created by 21 loans still being considered by the bank, according to Julie Connelly, senior vice president of community relations for Citizens, which is a subsidiary of the Royal Bank of Scotland. Affordable housing remains a problem in New England, even as the real estate market has cooled a bit in recent months. 2005 YEAR IN REVIEW WORLD NEWS Russian official orders hazing probe Documents show Army seized wives as tactic IRAQ The South Asia Tsunami - One Year Later NATIONAL NEWS SUPREME COURT: Alito Nomination • Transcript: 1/10 • Transcript: 1/11 Texas judges allowed to resume campaigns Vietnam deserter won't face trial Lawyer dons dominatrix mask in Mass. trial NTSB: Ban landing method in Midway crash NTSB: Ban landing method in Midway crash SPORTS 2006 WORLD CUP PRO BASKETBALL HOCKEY NASCAR 2005 COLLEGE FOOTBALL Federer to play Baghdatis in Aussie final More charges filed against Skins' Taylor Chiefs QB takes Brady's spot in Pro Bowl ENTERTAINMENT Mark Winkeller, executive director of Caritas Communities, says single adults earning between $11,000 and $28,000 a year will pay between $390 and $590 a month for the Quincy units. There are some rules for the apartments - no overnight guests, no drunkenness, and residents have to continuously meet income requirements. Caritas, which is not related to the hospital network with a similar name, has 528 units within Route 128. The average length of stay in a Caritas unit is three years, and about three-quarters of residents are men. The typical resident in one of Caritas’ properties is middle-aged and works in the service sector, typically as a security guard, cab driver or food-service worker. ‘‘These are difficult jobs, they’re not glamorous in the slightest, and they’re jobs that are generally underpaid and under-appreciated,’’ Winkeller said. Julie Jette may be reached at [email protected]. Copyright 2005 The Patriot Ledger Transmitted Thursday, November 24, 2005 THE GRAMMYS Movies lend Oscars a social agenda World honors Mozart on 250th birthday Douglas: Don't underestimate star power MORE WORLD & US NEWS: POLITICS BUSINESS HEALTH TECHNOLOGY AP INTERACTIVE Perspectives: 'Baby Boomers' 9/11 Assessment The Hurricanes CIA Leak Investigation Tracking Avian Flu Fighting the Flu The Supreme Court Oil Crunch Freedom of Information Act Iraq War Casualties Database CONTACT US The Patriot Ledger, 400 Crown Colony Drive P.O. Box 699159, Quincy, MA 02269-9159 Telephone: (617) 786-7000