Special Focus
The Meadows at Tewksbury Celebrates Second Anniversary
Last month UCP celebrated the second anniversary of the completion of its affordable special needs housing development, The Meadows at Oldwick, pictured above. Since then, the eighteen-apartment rental complex has been at full occupancy until just now, when it has begun processing applications for a replacement tenant for a one-bedroom apartment vacated by an occupant moving out of state to be closer to family. If you need such accommodations, now is a good time to get on the waiting list.
The Meadows has proven itself a success since the day it opened. Most importantly, it has fulfilled the mission first conceived by UCP's Board of Trustees over ten years ago to provide permanent affordable housing that people with disabilities could live in with varying degrees necessary supports.
As originally envisioned, these supports come not only from the State or outside agencies but from within the community itself. Every household at The Meadows has someone with a disability, but everyone there also has his or her own individual strengths. People there understand and respect disabilities and use their strengths to offset one another's weaknesses.
For example, an older woman with mobility problems helps a younger woman to read better and the younger woman helps the older woman with her grocery shopping. Tenants who drive help those who need rides. And ready, willing and able baby-sitters help those with young children.
This coming together is fostered by interactions in the 4500-foot Community Center, which includes meeting rooms, the activities center and Laundromat. Some interactions are casual, others occur in the context of structured activities programmed by the Social Services Coordinator or the Tenants Association.
The Social Services Coordinator is a UCP employee whose responsibilities include monitoring the support needs of tenants and facilitating their provision, scheduling a variety of group activities to promote social interaction among tenants, and creating a climate for the development of a healthy Tenants Association.
The Tenants Association has been created 'of the tenants, by the tenants, and for the tenants.' Its purpose is to give voice to the tenants in dealing with the individual or collective problems tenants have, whether with UCP or the outside world.
The Tenants Association largely has resulted from the stalwart efforts of tenant Laura Ramos, who has advocated for many tenants in resolving support problems they had with outside agencies. The Association holds its own regular meetings and sponsors numerous activities for tenants, too. Many parents of tenants have played an active role in these activities, as well. The Association has also been supportive of UCP's efforts to obtain additional State funding for improvements at the Meadows.
UCP ultimately was able to obtain State distribution of federal stimulus funds to finance necessary drainage and landscape improvements at The Meadows, including new patios behind each apartment and the Community Center, which are pending municipal [Interior shot at page break] approval. These funds also provide for a new array of solar collectors on the south side of the Community Center roof to help defray operating costs.
The addition of solar to the Community Center will complete the 'greening' of The Meadows, which already won the 'Best Green Residential Development' at the 2008 Governor's Conference on Housing. In reaching this decision, the judges of the competition took into account not only the economies resulting from the solar arrays over each apartment, but the comfortable, healthy and sustainable environments created by the basic design and construction of these dwellings.
The Meadows is 8/10ths of a mile north of Exit 24 on Interstate 78, on the western side of CR 523. (2nd Left north of I-78) For more information about this development, contact Property Manager Paul Campanella at (609) 259-5292.
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