For Applicants
This project is funded by the Department of Housing and Community Development and Mass Housing. Therefore, it has eligibility requirements: Household size: Singles only Household Income must be below $44,800 per year. Preferences for homeless, an individual who needs wheelchair accessibility, or an individual who has a sensory disability. Rents are based on income level. Tenants whose income is between $26,851 and $44,800 will pay $600 per month. Tenants whose income is at or below $26,850 will pay 30% of their income. To be accepted into the lottery, applications are due at the YWCA at 5:00 PM on August 16, 2021, or postmarked by August 16, 2021. Applications and Information packets are available here.
A Brief Summary of YWCA at Hillside
The YWCA at Hillside is a unique program designed to combine affordable housing with sustainable living. As such, applicants seeking housing in this project must be aware of the design and intention of the facility as these designs will impact the lifestyle one adopts to live in the unit. The YWCA at Hillside is a part of a larger community called the Hillside Center for Sustainable Living (HCSL). HCSL is a market-rate rental project owned and operated by Hall and Moskow, LLC. Many of the amenities available to HCSL tenants will also be available to YWCA tenants once the HCSL project is complete. Net Positive A project is considered “ Net Positive ” when it produces more energy than it consumes. YWCA at Hillside will use electricity generated by solar panels located on the parking solar canopies directly across from the property. During the summer, the panels will produce more electricity than the building consumes, during the winter the building will consume more electricity than it produces. Over the course of a year, it is anticipated to generate more electricity than it uses.
Sustainability Goals
The building is designed to meet LEED for Homes standards and is pursuing a Platinum Level Certification. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a green building rating system that provides a framework for healthy, highly efficient, and cost-saving green buildings. The building is also designed to meet the Passive Housing Institute US standards. Passive Housing is designed to minimize or eliminate the need for external heating or cooling of the home. This is done through insulation, positioning the building to take advantage of sunlight and more. Again, the goal is to create a sustainable place to live. In the case of the YWCA at Hillside, care was taken to design and install the smallest HVAC system that met all code requirements given the load of the building.
Organic Farm
HCSL has a Permaculture Master Plan for the site that is being realized as each phase of the project is completed. Permaculture is the development of agricultural ecosystems intended to be sustainable and self-sufficient. This small-scale agriculture will be integrated with the site and provide some food for residents. In addition, HCSC will incorporate a greenhouse onto the site producing organic food for sale. YWCA tenants will be encouraged to walk along the paths but are reminded that the produce seen growing on campus belongs to the community as a whole and will be distributed through a managed system. YWCA will work with HCSL and local donors to ensure tenants are able to access the food produced by the farm at no or minimal cost. Tenants will be required to work together to share the vegetable, fruits, eggs, and honey made available to them through this process.
Transportation
YWCA at Hillside is located near the downtown of Newburyport and the Newburyport IndustrialPark. The bus runs along Pond street which is 1/10th of a mile from the units. Employment opportunities are within walking distance as well as situated on the bus line. Bicycle storage will be provided once the HCSL barn is completed and tenants will have access to renting electric vehicles charged on site (there is a separate fee and registration for this service).
Funding
YWCA Greater Newburyport is still seeking to raise funds for this project. To date, we have raised $1,543,520 of the $1,874, 085 needed to complete the project. We have received funding from the Department of Housing and Community Development, Mass Housing, Newburyport Community Preservation Fund, Charlesbank Homes, and a private donation. Once open later this year, the YWCA will be seeking ongoing donations to ensure tenants have access to Community-Scale Agriculture (CSAs) either produced on-site or locally.
Construction
Construction has begun on the project and is expected to be completed in November 2021.
