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From YouTube: Ausonia Homes Funding Announcement - 3/20/23
Description
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu joins Senator Ed Markey and Congressman Stephen Lynch for a press announcement of new federal funding for Ausonia Homes. The Boston congressional delegation secured $1.75 million to help BHA in its efforts to move forward with major renovations and upgrades at Ausonia, including modern heating systems, better air quality and insulation, and renovated apartments.
A
All
right,
good
morning,
everybody
welcome
to
a
Sony
Apartments.
My
name
is
Kate
Bennett
I'm,
the
administrator
and
CEO
at
the
Boston
Housing
Authority
I
am
really
happy
to
be
here
today
and
very
grateful
to
the
federal
delegation
that
has
made
it
possible
for
us
to
celebrate
the
improvements
to
this
community
and
before
I
introduce
the
mayor.
A
I
just
I
just
want
to
say
this
is
really
a
beautiful
community
and
it's
in
a
thriving
neighborhood,
and
we
have
wonderful
residents,
you'll
hear
from
Michelle
and
Michelle
in
a
little
bit,
but
this
building
really
needs
some
love
and
I
want
to
thank
Senator,
Markey
and
Congressman
Lynch
for
for
bringing
us
that
love
today.
Preserving
this
critical,
affordable
housing,
especially
in
such
a
high
Market
neighborhood,
is,
is
just
so
important
and
we
thank
you
for
showing
up
for
Boston's
public
housing
today
and
every
day.
A
A
B
So
much
for
welcoming
us
here
this
morning,
I
will
note
I
see
at
least
four
or
five
empty
chairs
over
here.
So
if
anyone
wants
to
come
in
from
the
hallway
there's
a
couple
more
seats
right
on
right
on
this
side
come
on
in
now,
okay,
you're,
good.
All
right!
There's
got
to
be
someone
first,
we're
here
to
celebrate
the
leadership
of
our
federal
delegation
in
partnership
with
state
and
local
leaders,
to
make
sure
that
we
could
prioritize
getting
some
really
important
changes
made
for
our
residents.
B
But
there's
one
person
in
this
room
who's,
usually
not
in
the
spotlight
at
all
and
has
been
behind
taking
care
of
our
public
housing
residents
for
a
very,
very
long
time.
I,
don't
know
if
you
all
have
heard,
but
Kate
Bennett
is
planning
to
step
down
from
her
role
this
year
in
the
summer,
we're
hoping
she'll
come
back
after
a
sabbatical
in
a
different
role
somewhere,
but
I
just
want
to
honor
Kate
for
everything
that
she
has
done.
B
Stay
alongside
your
North
End
delegation
here
at
the
state
and
city
level,
Senator
Lydia,
Edwards,
representative
Erin
Michael,
with
City
councilor
Gabriella
Coletta,
are
always
making
sure
that
this
community
is
part
of
the
the
funds
and
and
the
programming
that
we're
trying
to
create
across
the
city.
So
shout
out
to
to.
B
B
C
C
C
C
C
B
You
so
much
and
I'm
really
honored
to
pass
it
on
I.
Think
we'll
we'll
just
each
introduce
the
one
after
so
we
can
keep
it
going.
Our
Senator
Ed
Markey
is
a
champion
for
so
much
in
the
city
of
Boston
and
it's
been
so
fun
to
be
able
to
announce
the
the
major
Investments
that
he
has
helped
secure
from
our
City's
Green
New
Deal
to
public
housing
and
open
space,
and
for
him
it's
all
about
putting
working
people
at
the
center.
So
thank
you
so
much
Senator
Murphy.
D
D
We
partnered
on
this
funding
in
order
to
make
sure
that
it
would
be
there,
but
there's
no
greater
advocate
for
the
people
of
Boston
ever
than
Steve
Lynch
and
to
state
senator
Lydia
Edwards.
This
is
a
powerful
voice
for
the
people
for
Aaron
Michael
witz
up
in
the
State
House
controlling
the
dollars.
So
that
they'll
be
this
fortunate
amounts
which
are
coming
to
the
North
End
and
to
this
Rising
Sun
Gigi,
colletta,
City
councilor.
You
know,
there's
such
a
great
star.
D
So
so
we
thank,
we
thank
all
of
you
and
we
thank
Kate
for
30
years
at
the
Boston
Housing
Authority,
for
leaving
an
absolutely
indelible
Mark
upon
this
city,
not
just
here
but
across
every
single
neighborhood
in
this
city
and
and
thanks
as
well
to
everyone
who
made
this
possible
today,
as
Boston
contends
with
encroaching
Seas
coastal
flooding
scorching
Summers.
We
know
the
climate
crisis
is
not
on
our
doorsteps.
It
is
in
our
homes.
Our
shelters
must
be,
shall
altered
from
this
storm.
D
In
advancing
the
vision
for
a
cleaner
and
Greener
City,
Commonwealth
and
Nation,
we
can
and
we
must
ensure
all
people,
no
matter
their
age,
race,
income.
Our
disability
are
part
of
that
Vision.
This
project
will
serve
assonians,
who
are
seniors
and
people
with
disabilities
and
ensure
they
are
part
of
the
city's
Green
Revolution
I
want
to
thank
Cheryl
and
Michelle,
and
the
entire
assonia
task
force
for
their
work
to
elevate
the
needs
of
residents.
D
Tip
O'neill
always
said
that
all
politics
is
local.
Well,
all
climate
action
is
local
and
that's
what
this
represents
here
today,
and
local
Champions,
like
Cheryl
and
Michelle,
helped
to
ensure
that
the
needs
of
their
fellow
estonians
heard
loud
and
clear
at
City,
Hall
and
in
the
halls
of
Congress,
because
we
know
ultimately
Steve,
Lynch
and
I
know,
ultimately
that
a
vision
without
funding
is
an
hallucination.
That's.
D
Why
we're
bringing
the
money
here
today
to
make
sure
that
this
project
is
completed,
because
we
just
can't
stop
there
we're
not
going
to
stop
until
we
absolutely
have
all
of
the
resources
which
the
mayor
will
need
to
guarantee
that
housing
for
everyone
is
Affordable
and
that
it's
green
and
that
it's
safe
and
that
it's
healthy.
That
is
the
job
that
we
have
down
in
Washington
and
Steve
and
I
and
Elizabeth
are
going
to
make
sure
that
we
deliver
and
give
those
resources
to
the
mayor.
Thank
you
all.
E
Thank
you
Ed
good
morning
again,
I
I
want
to
give
great
thanks
to
Kate
Bennett
for
her
her
wonderful
leadership
across
our
public
housing
in
the
city
of
Boston.
She
really
has
been
a
great
Champion.
She
was
enormously
helpful
when
we
redid
some
of
the
older
housing
developments
in
South
Boston
and
in
Roxbury.
So
we
we
are
going
to
miss
her
I
I
was
threatening
to
block
her
pension,
but
I
I
will
not
I
will
not
do
that.
E
But
I
also
want
to
thank
Cheryl
and
Michelle
for
your
wonderful
leadership
on
the
task
force
as
well,
and-
and
let
me
let
me
just
say
that
people
don't
realize
the
difference
in
the
way
we
do
things
in
Washington
these
days.
The
old
way
of
funding
projects
was,
you
know
we
would
pass
a
bill
and
the
money
would
go
to
the
50
Governors
and
then
sometimes
those
governors
would
talk
to
the
legislatures,
but
but
in
many
cases
they
did
not
so
the
situa.
E
The
situation
with
the
funding
was
often
not
transparent
and
it
was
not
reliable
but
was
not
consistent.
So
a
couple
of
years
ago
we
changed
the
way
we're
doing
some
of
this
funding
in
Washington,
DC
and
they're
called
local
priority
projects.
So
what
we
do
Ed
and
I
and
Elizabeth
Warren
who's
not
here,
but
deserves
enormous
credit
for
the
work
that
she
absolutely.
E
E
One
of
my
main
priorities
is
one
of
the
older
buildings
in
in
the
North
Bend,
the
austinia
apartments,
and
we
really
have
neglected
that
building
for
a
long
time
and
that's
one
of
my
priorities
and
then
we
sat
with
Aaron
michaelwitz
and
you
can
guess
what
he
said
where
he
thought
the
money
should
go
in
the
North
End
Austin
Apartments.
He
said
we.
We
really
need
to
reprioritize
those
buildings
and
then
Gigi
Coletta,
who,
although
she
is
relatively
new,
knew
immediately
that
that
this
building
and
the
people
here
are
a
priority.
E
So
it
was
unanimous
across
the
delegation
and
I
am
so
thankful,
Ed
and
I
spent
four
or
five
days
a
week
in
Washington
DC,
because
we
have
votes
and
we
have
to.
We
have
to
be
there,
but
we
rely
so
heavily
on
the
mayor
on
the
senator
on
the
representative
on
the
city
council
to
tell
us
what
the
priorities
are
here,
and
so
that's
that's
why
this
is
a
team
here.
E
This
is
a
team
here
and
we
there's
one
thing
that
brings
us
together,
and
that
is
our
mission
to
to
really
care
for
you
and
make
sure
that
you
have
the
dignity
that
you
have
earned
for
the
contributions
you
have
made
in
our
city,
and
we
are
so
thankful
that
we're
able
to
bring
this
money
back
and
hopefully
we'll
get
a
bigger
room
here
in
the
future
as
part
of
our
expansion.
But
the
the
other
thing
I
want
to
give
great
credit
to
is.
Is
my
colleagues
in
in
the
Senate.
E
So
when
I
started
out,
I
had
originally
asked
for
750
000
to
get
us
started
and
and
I
I
sent
it
over
from
the
house
to
the
Senate
and
I
said.
Can
you
please
support
this
I
explain
what
was
going
on
and
not
only
did
they
support
my
my
750
000,
but
they
added
a
million
dollars
on
top
of
it,
which
is
which
is
the
way
of
the
Senate,
so
I'm,
very,
very,
very
thankful
for
that.
E
F
I'm
beyond
excited
to
be
here
to
not
only
build
for
the
future,
but
to
reflect
on
how
we
got
here
together,
a
person
whose
name
that
should
be
mentioned
in
every
single
public
housing,
especially
in
Boston,
is
Billy
McGonagall.
Who
has
been
someone
who
you
should
remember.
We
should
remember,
in
many
cases
himself
coming
from
public
housing
to
eventually
be
the
administrator
of
Boston
for
many
years
honored
to
work
with
him.
F
F
I
also
want
to
thank
the
tenant
association
and
those
who
have
organized
here
in
the
assonia
for
many
years
to
orient
myself,
counselor,
Coletta,
representative,
mikowitz
and,
of
course,
the
mayor
for
where
we
should
be
investing.
We've
heard
some
good
things.
We've
heard
some
bad
things
about
this
building,
but
it's
because
you
are
always
highlighting
those
concerns
and
you
were
leading
even
if
the
conversations
were
difficult.
I
want
to
thank
you,
and
you
should
give
yourselves
a
round
of
applause.
F
Housing
and
I'm
honored
to
be
today
the
chair
of
housing
for
this,
for
the
state
senate
and
housing
is
the
number
one
issue
that
faces
every
single
one
of
us
it
is
multi-generational
is
multi-racial.
It
has
everybody
from
very
a
lot
of
money
with
those
who
have
very
little.
Money
are
all
thinking
about
housing
where
they're
going
to
live
where
their
children
are
going
to
live
and
how
we
as
a
state,
need
to
lead
in
this
area.
F
This
is
that
investment
leading
in
housing
for
those
who
are
the
most
vulnerable,
but
also
the
most
valued
in
our
community
I,
am
so
honored
to
work
with
mayor
Wu,
especially
in
these
moments,
and
to
see
her
lead
that
and
and
connect
housing
with
green
infrastructure.
The
two
are
completely
connected.
You
cannot
have
healthy
homes
without
them
being
green
and
I'm,
so
grateful
to
the
mayor
for
her
Green,
New
Deal
and
her
leadership.
F
Congressman,
Lynch
I
have
had
the
honor
to
represent
parts
of
the
city
council
district
and
now
the
Senate
District
with
you
and
seeing
you
grow
as
the
son
of
Southie
coming
yourself
as
a
union
worker.
He
knows
that
labor,
green
and
housing
are
all
connected.
We
know
that
we
need
to
pay
people
a
living
wage
that
prepares
them
for
the
green
future.
F
F
We
know
this
building
like
the
back
of
our
hands.
We've
knocked
on
doors,
we've
talked
to
people,
we
understand
the
fundamental
issues
and
I
am
just
so
honored
and
just
so
excited
to
see
you
grow.
You
are.
You
are
a
shining
light,
my
dear
friend
and
a
and
a
great
fighter,
though
not
as
big
of
a
fighter
as
me.
F
So
with
that
all
the
celebratory
remarks,
let's
just
continue
to
keep
our
eyes
on
the
prize,
which
is
keeping
people
in
affordable
housing,
deeply,
affordable
housing
in
Boston.
That's
part
of
this
investment
today
and
that's
part
of
our
commitment
for
tomorrow.
So
with
that
I'm
going
to
turn
it
over
to
Chairman
mikeowitz.
Who
will
come
up
here
and
say
a
few
words.
G
Thank
you,
Senator
and
I
appreciate
the
opportunity
to
be
here
today.
I
thank
everyone
for
being
here,
I
think
all
by
my
colleagues
in
government
for
all
their
hard
work.
You
know
this
is
it's
nice
being
the
chair
always
means
now,
on
the
other
side
of
the
aisle
here,
actually
getting
some
money
into
the
neighborhood,
that's
not
coming
from
from
the
state,
and
we
appreciate
that.
So
it's
it's
a
different
feeling
for
me
today,
but
I
appreciate.
You
know
what
the
work
of
the
federal
delegation
has
done
here.
G
G
This
is
a
great
day,
for
you
know,
know
New
Beginnings
related
to
this
building
and
just
like
the
congressman
said-
and
many
of
my
other
colleagues
have
said
you
know,
all
politics
is
local,
it's
very
local
for
me.
Obviously,
I
live
right
down
the
street
here.
It
doesn't
get
any
more
local
than
this,
but
we
all
talk
to
each
other
and
try
to
you
know,
communicate
with
each
other.
G
What
is
important,
but
on
the
flip
side
of
that,
it's
your
it's
your
attendance
Association,
that's
talking
to
us
and
making
sure
that
we're
aware
of
what's
going
on
and
what
is
needed
so
Michelle
and
Cheryl.
Thank
you.
You
know
you
guys
have
been
dear
friends
for
for
years.
I
see
you
guys
every
day
when
walking
by
you
know
and
I
appreciate
everything
you
guys
do
for
this
building
and
you
know
thank
you.
You
know,
let's
give
them
a
round
of
applause,
for
everything.
G
G
We
are
in
a
housing
crisis
here
in
this
state
and
it
is
critical,
every
dollar
that
we
can
get,
and
we
can
you
know,
reach
for
we
get
and
make
sure
that
we
invest
into
housing
here
in
Massachusetts,
you
know
and
we've,
but
we
cannot
forget.
We
talk
a
lot
about
different
types
of
housing
and
this
and
that
we
cannot
forget
about
public
housing.
G
You
know
that
is
sometimes
the
the
the
issue
that
gets
kind
of
lost
in
the
conversation,
because
it's
not
as
sometimes
as
sexy
to
talk
about
you
know
when
you
get
up
on
the
podium
you
get
up
on
the
stage,
but
public
housing
is
the
backbone
of
our
housing.
You
know
making
sure
we
have.
Everyone
has
a
decent,
a
decent
roof
over
their
shoulder
is
important
for
us
to.
You
know
to
provide
and
move
forward
with
this
discussion.
G
We
can't
we
can't
fix
the
crisis
unless
we're
taking
care
of
all
our
people
in
this
in
this
Commonwealth,
so
I
I.
Thank
the
thank
the
federal
delegation
for
that
amount
of
money
that
we're
getting
here
today
and,
lastly,
also
we're
talking
about
Greening
infrastructure
and
Greening,
our
housing
infrastructure
and
our
buildings.
You
know
we
in
the
state
set
a
road
map
for
2050
to
make
sure
that
we
have
set
guidelines
on
exactly
what
we're
going
to
be
doing
from
a
group
from
creating
a
Greener
economy
from
a
Greener
system
infrastructure
system
in
general.
G
But
it
starts
with
us.
We
have
to
make
sure
that
the
buildings
that
we
own
and
represent
and
work
on
are
the
ones
that
are
leading
the
way
and
that
today
is
going
to
be
a
big
step
in
making
sure
that
this
building
is
leading
the
way
in
this
neighborhood,
so
that
everyone
else
has
to
follow
so
I.
Thank
the
federal
investigation
once
more
time,
one
more
time
for
everything
that
they're
doing
today
so.
G
And,
of
course
we
wouldn't
be-
we
wouldn't
be
feeling
comfortable
without
giving
that
money
to
to
the
mayor
unless
we
knew
how
great
job
she's
doing
on
that
stuff,
and
so
we
thanked
the
mayor
for
all
the
work
that
she
does
in
this
neighborhood
and
also
with
BHA
and
in
general,
and
obviously
everyone
said
plenty
of
Plenty
about
Kate,
but
we
I
Echo
those
sentiments
as
well,
and
thank
you
for
every
all
of
your
years
of
service
here.
So
thank
you
again.
This
is
a
great
day.
G
I'm
I'm,
proud
to
be
here,
I'm,
proud
to
be
a
North,
End
resident
and
proud
to
be
your
neighbor
as
well
and
without
any
further
Ado
I'm
going
to
turn
it
over
to
our
new
city
council.
As
the
senator
said,
she
is
new
in
years
of
elected
service,
but
not
new
in
service
in
government.
She
has
been
a
dear
friend.
She
was
actually
my
intern
at
one
point
in
time.
Well
before
she
got
big,
she
was
an
intern
in
my
office,
okay
yeah.
G
H
Oh,
my
goodness,
good
morning,
everybody
I
am
just
so
excited.
I'm
always
excited
to
be
here
at
the
Estonia
Apartments.
As
my
colleague
state
senator
Lydia
Edwards
mentioned,
I
was
a
staffer
and
I
really
enjoyed
coming
to
Coffee
hours
here
and
getting
a
chance
to
know
you
and
figure
out
what
your
priorities
are,
not
just
for
this
building,
but
but
for
the
community.
H
Obviously,
today
is
a
very
special
day
we
are
celebrating
this
transformative
investment
and
I'm,
so
grateful
to
my
congressional
Partners
Senator
Ed
Markey,
Congressman
Lynch,
as
well
as
the
mayor,
my
state,
senator
State,
Rep,
Erin,
mikowitz
and
many
other
folks
in
city
government
who
worked
hard
to
make
this
happen.
This
building
and
my
understanding
is
that
it
was
built
in
1900,
and
so
it's
about
123
years
old,
I
hope
that
I
have
that
right,
but
either
way,
as
Kate
mentioned.
It's
in
need
of
some
love.
H
It's
in
need
of
some
desperate
love
and
you
all
as
tenants
care
for
one
another
and
you
care
for
this
building,
it's
well
maintained
by
you
and
the
staff,
and
especially
to
our
folks
in
the
tenant
association.
Thank
you
so
much
for
your
advocacy,
but
that
1.75
million
dollars
is
going
to
give
the
love
that
this
building
needs.
H
A
healthy
and
thriving
Community
starts
at
the
home.
I
read
somewhere
from
the
Harvard
public
school
of
health
that
we
spend
about
65
percent
of
our
time
in
our
homes
and
so
having
access
to
clean
air
within
our
homes,
making
sure
that
we
have
eco-friendly
appliances
that,
just
generally
the
building
is,
is
well
maintained
and
modern.
It
should
not
be
a
luxury
in
2023.
H
Healthy
housing
is
a
human
right.
Healthy
housing
is
a
human
right,
and
what
this
1.75
Million
Dollars
affirms.
Today
Is
our
commitment,
our
Collective
commitment
to
all
of
you
and
ensuring
that
you
have
healthy
sustainable
homes,
not
just
now,
but
for
future
Generations,
so
keep
it
short
and
sweet.
I
just
want
to
say.
Thank
you
again
to
my
my
delegation.
Thank
you
all
so
much
for
your
advocacy
and
I
look
forward
to
a
shoveling
the
ground
at
some
point,
timeline.
Tbd.
Thank
you
all.
So
much.
E
Thank
you.
Thank
you
very
much.
A
couple
of
other
people
I
want
to
I
want
to
recognize
this
morning
who
have
done
great
work
on
the
ground
here.
Well,
let's
go
Figueroa
who's,
our
regional
property
manager
and,
of
course,
Monica
Daniel
who's.
Here,
there's
a
great
shot
for
us
every
day
did
not
want
to
forget
them
and
before
I
bring
up
our
representatives
from
Lieutenant
task
force.
E
E
So
that's
another
project
that
we're
able
to
work
with
our
our
local
city
and
state
colleagues
to
make
sure
that
that
money
comes
in
and
is
used
properly,
it'll
take
a
little
while
they're
down
there
doing
some
of
the
work
now,
but
it's
an
ongoing
project
now
I
get
to
introduce
the
stars
of
the
day.
The
task
force,
president
Cheryl,
if
Aha
and
and
also
Michelle,
ganger
and
Michelle,
has
the
unique
honor
and
and
foresight.
E
I
Hi
good
morning,
everyone
I'm
sure
with
the
high
prisoner
of
the
task
force,
and
this
is
Michelle
gang
of
the
vice
president.
Together
with
Jimmy,
Ryan
and
Alvina
use
our
alternate.
Our
secretary
Ellie
McCarthy
is
no
longer
with
us.
He
had
passed
away,
I
lived
in
the
Estonia
for
seven
years.
I
was
also
born
and
brought
up
in
the
North
End
Michelle
guilling
has
been
a
resident
for
17
years.
J
We
started
the
Task
Force
four
years
ago.
We
could
make
a
difference
for
our
neighbors
here
at
the
Estonia.
We
really
love
this
neighborhood
in
this
city.
We
are
so
excited
to
have
all
of
you
here
today.
I
want
to
thank
mayor,
Wu
and
all
of
the
state
and
local
electric
officials
for
their
support
of
our
public
housing.
The
community
and
I
want
to
specially
thanks,
Senator
Maki,
Congressman
Lynch,
says
the
Warren
for
making
this
day
possible.
We
are
very
excited
to
see
our
homes
get
fixed
up.