AMHERST, MA - Throughout the year, various communities hold open houses to showcase their affordable housing projects. But not everyone can attend those events, such as the recent open house for the 11 new units on Main Street here, said Constance E. Kruger, manager for community assistance programs for the Massachusetts Housing Partnership. "There's a lot of people in our area interested in affordable housing," said Kruger, who works out of the Boston office and the satellite office in Amherst. She said she thought "if we brought everyone to one place, people could see some of the projects they might be interested in."
So nine developers will bring information about those projects to what the partnership is calling an affordable housing expo, a kind of open house at the Red Barn at Hampshire College Jan. 15 from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. The college is co-sponsoring the event. "It's a combination of exhibitions and (the chance) for each group to speak to the whole audience," she said.
The event is open to nonprofit providers, local officials, housing authority staff and boards, and anyone interested in learning about affordable housing. Exhibitors will set up booths with information about what they have done and what they can do and then will speak, Kruger said. They will be available again after their presentations. People can come to any part of the open house, she said. The expo is also "good visibility for some of the nonprofits who do such good work," she said.
Participating agencies are the Amherst Housing Authority, the Franklin County Housing and Redevelopment Authority, the Pioneer Valley Habitat for Humanity, the Hilltown and Pioneer Valley community development corporations, HAP Inc., The Community Builders, Mental Health Association/Department of Mental Health-Housing First Model for the Homeless and Rural Development Inc. Kruger said she runs a lot of workshops and trainings. "This is the first expo I've done. I'm curious to see how it goes."
Source: MassLive.com