Bridgeport resident David Reyes, 57, was once homeless with no other place to sleep than on the streets. He was unhoused for four years after serving in the Army.
鈥淏ecause of me losing my ability to work -- that is due to a spine injury -- I slowly became one of more than 553,752 souls that are homeless across this nation,鈥� Reyes said.
Today, the U.S. veteran occupies one of 18 new townhouse-style apartments at West Liberty Commons by (BNT), formerly known as the Bridgeport Neighborhood Trust.
During a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Monday, Reyes emphasized how honored he felt to have his new apartment -- his first self-dependent move after years of moving among hospital bed, electric wheelchair and cane due to his spine injury.
鈥淚t shows those who are less fortunate or physically disabled a ray of hope that they, too, can be blessed with the likes of projects like West Liberty Commons,鈥� Reyes said.
His story is exactly what BNT is hoping to address -- to help end homelessness and housing insecurity by creating more affordable housing across 黑料吃瓜网.
鈥淎ffordable housing raises salaries and increases our tax base,鈥� said Noah Gotbaum, CEO of Building Neighborhoods Together. 鈥淎ffordable housing makes our streets safer and solidifies our neighborhoods. Affordable housing means far better educational outcomes for our kids, and it keeps families together.鈥�
West Liberty Commons is the latest of four redevelopments by BNT in the Downtown West neighborhood since 2016. The nonprofit says it鈥檚 part of a $30 million investment to promote downtown Bridgeport and make it a community free of blight and overgrown abandoned lots.
But the focus isn鈥檛 only on Bridgeport. As one of the wealthiest counties in the country, Gotbaum said, Fairfield County鈥檚 affordable housing units don鈥檛 add up. And it鈥檚 an issue.
鈥淔airfield County alone has an affordable housing gap of 26,000 units. That鈥檚 criminal 鈥� Affordability is so critical because families don鈥檛 have to pick between paying rent and putting food on the table,鈥� Gotbaum said. 鈥淲e have to declare housing, like the air we breathe and food we eat, a necessity. It鈥檚 a human right.鈥�
The white and green $5 million complex stands tall on a once-vacant lot. It received a $3.5 million grant from the Department of Housing and resourced the rest from a variety of funders, including People鈥檚 United Bank, Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston and the 黑料吃瓜网 Housing Finance Authority.
鈥淭his project was done like lasagna. We got base funding from the Department of Housing and then we needed help from, believe it or not, 11 other funders to complete this,鈥� Gotbaum said.
The development may seem small-scale, Gotbaum added, but it took a village from conception to unveiling. And the rather complex funding system hints at why affordable housing is scarce.
鈥淲e all need to do something,鈥� Gotbaum said. 鈥淪tarting here, starting now.鈥�
Bridgeport Councilman Jorge Cruz shared similar sentiments. He was one of a handful of state and local officials who also spoke at the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
鈥淲e have a couple still sleeping behind the courthouse, we have a couple people sleeping at the train station, bus station,鈥� Cruz said. 鈥淏ut we have a lot of work to do. We have a housing crisis here in Bridgeport, and I鈥檓 afraid of how many more bodies are going to be laying out here in the streets.鈥�
West Liberty Commons is currently fully occupied with a quarter of tenants previously homeless, like Reyes.
鈥淲e are pioneers of West Liberty Commons. Pioneers because no one has ever lived on this lot,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ecause it was just that, a lot with grass and trees before 17 months ago.鈥�
And now, he said, it鈥檚 a home.
