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Magdiela Matta/GBH News
The Fairmount Apartments public housing community in Hyde Park will get a $16 million upgrade that includes accessibility improvements, new cooling systems and community gardens for residents to grow their own food.
Kenzie Bok, administrator of the Boston Housing Authority, said Wednesday that funding comes from a joint effort between federal, city and state, with $5 million coming from the city, $1 million dollars from the federal government and $10 million from the state.
Fairmount Apartments was built in 1951 and has more than 200 units.
The city says the investment will make 5% of apartments fully accessible, and green stormwater infrastructure will be installed to support long-term sustainability of the Fairmount Apartments.
Two residents went up on stage to share their pride in living at the Fairmount, especially its diversity and safety.
Resident Tasheia Bowens held up a newspaper from 1989, saying another tenant gave it to her “just to show how diverse it was back then also.”
“We thought that was really amazing to have it all these years, just to show that even back then this community was well diverse,” she said.
Wendy Rosseau, another tenant, said, “This is the safest community I’ve been in for 15 years, and I know a lot of residents can agree.”
Mayor Michelle Wu said maintaining existing housing is just as important as building new homes.
“In order to be a home for everyone, we can’t just be creating new. We have to really protect what we have,” Wu said.
Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, a Hyde Park resident, likewise emphasized the importance of housing stability.
“Everybody deserves to turn the key, to get on the other side of that door, and to exhale because you are home,”
