Transformation of the Gerson Building is complete! Coalition for a Better Acre commemorated the completion of the 44-unit affordable housing development with a socially distant ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday, November 12. A collaboration of Coalition for a Better Acre and Veterans Northeast Outreach Center, the Gerson Building will be ready for occupants to move in by the end of November.
The Gerson Building marks CBA's second complete collaboration with VNEOC in Haverhill and was made possible with funding support from the City of Haverhill, Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development, Capital One, and the Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation.
Key partners in the development of the Gerson Building spoke at the socially distant ribbon-cutting ceremony, including Haverhill Mayor, Jim Fiorentini, who commended CBA’s drive and expressed his gratitude for keeping the Gerson name on the building, located in the spot where Gerson's Furniture of Haverhill stood for decades.
Additional speakers included U.S. Congresswoman, Lori Trahan, Nancy McCafferty of Massachusetts Housing Partnership, VNEOC Director Ed Mitchell, State Representative, Andy Vargas, and CBA Board President, Kerry Regan Jenness. Vargas, a Haverhill native expressed his excitement for the project and reiterated the need to prioritize affordable housing.
Each of the Gerson Building’s newly constructed rental units are affordable, with 70 percent of units reserved for veterans. Households earning no more than 60% of the area median income (AMI) qualified for occupancy through a lottery held in August 2020. Of the 44 rental units, eight units are available for those using a Housing Choice Voucher, also known as Section 8 housing, and two units are reserved for renters participating in the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program, which provides vouchers for households earning between 30-50% AMI.
The Gerson Building is comprised of eight one-bedroom, 31 two-bedroom, and 5 three-bedroom units with rents ranging from $1,047-$1,453 per month. Amenities such as heat, electric and water are included in the rental cost. General contractor, Delphi Construction, Inc. broke ground on the project in 2018, and was awarded the certificates of occupancy in October 2020.