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As a newly merged organization, UWWC believes in the importance of addressing issues on a regional level, and supports the expansion of expanding affordable housing opportunities to the Greater Danbury area, as it has been doing in Stamford. The Collaborative currently provides core operating support grants to New Neighborhoods, Inc., a nonprofit developer about to break ground for a supportive housing project in Danbury, and to Mutual Housing of SW CT which is actively exploring expanding into Northern Fairfield County. “High housing costs push low and moderate income families into economic instability. Residents of rental housing are unable to move into homeownership, which limits the ability of lower-income individuals and families to secure subsidized rental housing," said UWWC CEO Renzulli. "People continue to extend their commutes, impacting their quality of life, including the amount of time available for their families and volunteer work either in their home or work communities. United Way is committed to creating opportunities for a better life for all, and affordable housing is a big part of that vision." The Collaborative Fund was formed in 2006 by community foundations, corporations, banks, United Ways, private charitable organizations and family foundations to address the growing shortage of affordable housing in Fairfield County that threatens the quality of life and the future economies in each of the county’s interdependent towns and cities. Since fall 2006, the Collaborative has awarded $905,000 in grants to eight nonprofit development corporations to help them produce 520 more units of affordable housing in Fairfield County. The Collaborative Fund maximizes donor resources and impact to encourage larger scale production of quality housing by strengthening nonprofit housing developers who are working to produce affordable rental and ownership housing across Fairfield County. In addition to core operating support, the Collaborative Fund provides technical resources to develop community partnerships that will bolster the long-term sustainability of these housing initiatives. The Connecticut office of Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC - ww.lisc.org), a nationally recognized nonprofit leader in providing financial and technical resources to housing developers, manages the Collaborative Fund on behalf of the funders. The Collaborative operates from office space donated by the United Way of Coastal Fairfield County in Westport, CT. The United Way of Western Connecticut was formed in 2007 with the merger of United Way of Stamford, United Way of Housatonic/Shepaug, and United Way of Northern Fairfield County. The towns covered within these regions are Bethel, Bridgewater, Brookfield, Danbury, Kent, New Fairfield, New Milford, Newtown, Redding, Ridgefield, Roxbury, Sherman, Stamford, Warren and Washington. It is a leader in mobilizing resources to improve lives and our communities, bringing together community leaders, nonprofit organizations, volunteers and businesses to focus on the most pressing needs in our community and provide the resources – human, technical and financial – to get to the heart of problems. For more information, visit www.uwwesternct.org. To learn more about the affordable housing crisis and how the Collaborative Fund is pooling financial and technical resources to generate the creation of more affordable housing in the communities of Fairfield County, please phone Julia Brennan, Program Officer of the Collaborative Fund, at 203-227-9755 or e-mail jbrennan@lisc.org. © Copyright by StamfordPlus.com. Some articles and pictures posted on our website, as indicated by their bylines, were submitted as press releases and do not necessarily reflect the position and opinion of StamfordPlus.com, Stamford Plus magazine, Canaiden LLC or any of its associated entities. Articles may have been edited for brevity and grammar. Related Articles: The new Gurdon and Kathy Wattles Marine Mammal Observatory unveiled - Sep 19, 2008 - 12:36 PM ARI of Connecticut receives accreditation from CARF - Sep 16, 2008 - 3:00 PM Connecticut students still largely unaffected by national credit crunch - Sep 11, 2008 - 2:12 PM Statewide forums announced to help homeowners with subprime mortgages - Sep 10, 2008 - 2:34 PM CURRENT HEADLINES: Top of Page
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