In October, HUD New England Regional Director Taylor Caswell joined Congressman John Tierney (D-MA-06) on a tour of HUD-funded projects in Lynn, Massachusetts, located about 10 miles north of Boston. The Lynn Housing Authority and Neighborhood Development department, with their "one stop" local agency approach that administers both public housing and community development programs, is effectively and efficiently using HUD resources at the local level.

HUD regional director Taylor Caswell (right center) joined LHAND executive director Charlie Gaeta (left center), Rep. John Tierney (left, holding ribbon) at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Buffum Estates, 28 affordable homeownership units. The majority of the residents were chosen through the Family Self Sufficiency and Section 8 Homeownership program.

"The city has a creative, very successful approach to using HUD funding, and they could serve as a model to other communities," said Caswell. 

The tour included stops at:

• Buffum Estates, which includes 8 homeownership units financed by more than $1 million in HUD funding.  The LHAND partnered with local agencies to rid the site of the dilapidated housing and paved the way for eight townhouses with a beautiful view of the Boston skyline.  Over the past five years the neighborhood as a whole has seen a lot of investment in the housing stock with the help of LHAND's grant and loan programs and systematic code inspections.  The demolition of the blighted buildings alone has made a dramatic improvement to this neighborhood.
  
  
• The Normandy, which consists of four supportive permanent housing units financed by $475,000 in HUD homeless and community development funds.  Construction began in September 2004, including the complete gutting and renovation of the Normandy, which now offers four, 925 square foot, 2-bedroom units of permanent housing for families whose head of household is homeless and disabled.  The supportive services provided on site include family counseling, substance abuse counseling, occupational counseling, and benefits maximization provided by the case managers.
  
  
• Brickyard Village, which consists of 28 affordable rental units that was financed in part by more than $1.1 million in HOME funding.  The project offers various housing types and unit sizes. The project spans over three sites, which encompasses over 15 parcels that were assembled over a period of time; some of these vacant parcels were the result of Urban Renewal. 

In January 2005, the city of Lynn was honored by HUD as one of the 15 local governments nationwide for outstanding work in affordable housing and was awarded the inaugural HOME Doorknocker Award for Brickyard Village.