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From YouTube: Harmon Apartments Ribbon Cutting
Description
Quality affordable housing for people living with disabilities is often hard to come by, and Boston is leading the effort to change that. In Dorchester, Mayor Walsh joins local elected officials to celebrate the ribbon cutting of Harmon Apartments. The $17.6 million project holds 36 units with the purpose of housing adults with significant mobility and functional impairments.
A
Welcome
for
those
of
you
who
have
a
program,
you'll
know
that
that's
what
I'm
supposed
to
say.
That's
the
first
word
on
the
program:
I'm
Randy
Hawthorne
I'm,
the
chair
of
the
board
of
the
Boston
home
over
here
we
were
the
co
developers
of
this
wonderful
addition
to
Dorchester
in
Boston
36
units
of
affordable
housing,
not
the
easiest
thing
in
the
world
to
do,
as
you
know,
in
this
day
and
age,
but
we
had
a
lot
of
help
and
a
lot
of
support
and
lots
of
people
are
going
to
be
thanked.
A
A
I've
been
on
the
board
of
the
Boston
home
for
a
long
time
and
I
heard
about
this
as
a
dream
for
a
long
time,
and
and
that's
a
wonderful
thing,
we
have
our
development
partners
from
referred
investments
here
here,
towers
here
and
she'll,
be
speaking
later.
Obviously
they
were
instrumental
they're
government
officials.
Here
today,
politicians,
funders,
Columbia
construction,
the
guy
who
looked
after
our
interest,
Brian
Kelleher
Fran
Murphy,
our
CFO.
Who
really
was
the
the
the
detail
guru.
A
Hopefully
we
have
some
neighbors
I
hope
they'd
come
to
celebrate.
We
have
some
residents
of
the
Boston
home.
Thank
you
for
being
here.
We
may
have
some
participants
in
our
befit
adult
program
day
program,
if
not
they're
more
than
welcome,
obviously,
and
of
course,
the
Harmon
board,
which
is
the
the
technical
owners
of
this,
along
with
Barbara
and
Tony
Stankiewicz
and
John
Hannon
and
Curtin
Rock,
Stroh
and
there's
lots
of
others
to
thank
you.
You've
got
the
program
that
I'm
gonna
leave
it
to
Marvin.
B
Thank
you
very
much
Randy
and
welcome
everyone
on
this
grand
morning.
What
what
luck
we
had
with
this
weather?
The
limits
of
the
possible
can
only
be
defined
by
going
beyond
them
into
the
impossible.
The
British
futurists
Arthur
Clarke
wrote
that,
and
so
today
we
officially
open
Harman
apartments
which
for
me
was
near
impossible
to
say
the
least
over
the
last
15
years,
but
this
vision,
it
really
did
have
its
roots
in
a
challenge
made
nearly
a
hundred
and
fifty
years
ago,
by
Cordelia
Harman,
for
whom
we
we
named
Harman
apartments.
B
She
urged
community
leaders
to
go
beyond
what
was
considered
acceptable
housing
and
create
housing
for
people
with
chronic
illnesses,
particularly
disabilities.
Her
challenge
was
met
initially
with
the
founding
of
the
Boston
home,
and
now
we
launched
Harman
apartments.
It
is
important
to
close
the
loop
between
intention
and
reality
because
to
this
morning
we
stand
on
the
site
of
the
original
Boston
home
in
1881.
So
this
is
a
very
historical
piece
of
property.
B
Well,
he
really
was
someone
living
in
the
community
and
had
been
advocating
for
housing
for
a
long
time,
and
it
was
time
to
take
on
and
develop
Harman
apartments.
In
a
long-standing
tradition,
the
Boston
home
trustees
embraced
the
opportunity
to
extend
the
mission
of
the
Boston
home
and
develop
housing
for
people
with
disabilities
and,
as
it
happened,
there
were
great
advances
in
technology
which
has
really
helped
bring
the
building
even
more
accessible
for
people,
so
they
can
enjoy
liberating
personal
independence.
B
So,
on
the
course
of
this
journey,
the
next
big
step
was
our
joining
with
affirmative
investments
as
our
co
developers
and
really
couldn't
have
done
it
without
you,
Tara
and
David.
So,
thank
you
very
much
and
there
were
critical
steps
along
the
way.
Most
important
was
the
support
and
leadership
of
mayor
Marty
Walsh
and
his
administration,
especially
Sheila
Dillon
who's
with
us
today,
who's
director
of
apartment
of
Urban,
Development,
and
not
only
Sheila,
but
all
of
her
team
and
I.
B
Think
Kelly
is
here
as
well
we're
pivotal
to
moving
us
along
working
with
the
residents
of
Harmon
apartments
and
our
community
partners.
We
have
made
the
near
impossible
possible.
We
are
creating
a
new
new
model
for
active
community
living
for
people
with
disabilities
and
we
hope
that
Harmon
apartment
inspires
other
developers
and
I
have
to
tell
you
if
you
don't
mind
Sheila,
which
she
said
to
me.
We
have
to
do
more
of
this.
So
thank
you
very
much
on
a
personal
note.
I
have
Mets
it's
wonderfully
smart,
dedicated
people
along
the
way.
B
These
lasts
almost
15
years.
Architects,
attorneys
construction
managers,
subcontractors,
civic
leaders,
neighbors
public
officials,
advocates
friends
and
funders
I
hope
I
haven't
ignored
any
any
particular
person
or
kind
I
want
to.
Thank
you
all-
and
this
is
a
collaborative
congratulations
to
all
that
you
have
done
who
have
worked
on
this
either
in
spirit
and,
in
fact,
to
make
harbin
apartments
a
reality.
So
thank
you
very
much.
B
So
now
it
is
my
great
pleasure
to
introduce
mayor
Marty
Walsh.
He
has
been
a
caring
friend
of
the
Boston
home
since
we're
talking
a
little
bit
about
history.
From
the
time
of
you
were
state
representative,
he
always
listened
to
the
residents
and
advocated
for
services
so
that
residents
could
enjoy
independence
in
the
community.
He's
the
city's
chief
champion
for
improving
quality
of
life
for
all
residents,
and
he
understands
fully
engaging
in
this
great
city
means
housing
that
must
meet
the
needs
of
all
people.
He
has
been
an
advocate
for
affordable
housing.
B
C
And
all
the
staff
here
at
the
Boston
home
and
at
Harmon
apartments,
first
of
all,
you're
amazing
people
to
all
the
residents.
Thank
you
as
well
for
being
here
today,
but
also
thank
you
for
letting
us
come
visit
you
and
talk
about
politics
and
take
your
questions
whenever
you
let
us
in
which
is
all
the
time
I
want
to.
Thank
you
for
that.
I
do
want
to
also
thank
a
bunch
of
people
as
well.
C
C
C
C
C
C
You
know
we
spent
a
lot
of
time
in
this
in
the
Boston
home,
working
with
the
residents
listening
to
questions
work
on
marva,
trying
to
make
sure
that
the
federal
government
doesn't
cut
back
on
programs
because
of
the
uniqueness
of
this
place,
walking
through
here
on
Memorial
Day.
This
was
our
path
on
Memorial
Day
would
walk
up
and
walk
down
right
literally
through
the
house
here
and
we'll
go
down
to
the
street.
C
They
changed
the
route
since
then,
and
then
under
today,
coming
by
and
seeing
all
the
residents
and
I've
it's
one
of
my
highlights
of
my
day
and
I
make
sure
I
go
over
and
say
hi
to
everyone
that
day.
So
I
want
to
thank
Mario
Feeney
too,
because
she
was
such
a
strong
defender
and
advocate
for
the
Boston
home.
For
so
many
many
years.
C
C
It
was
the
right
thing
to
do
and
in
the
city
of
Boston,
we've
worked
really
hard
to
make
sure
that
we
create
opportunities
for
everyone
to
live
in
right
now,
one
in
five
homes
in
Boston,
indeed
restricted
affordable
units
that
makes
it
a
national
leader
when
it
comes
to
housing,
we're
continuing
to
create
affordable
housing
for
people
who
need
it.
The
most
neither
twelve
need
almost
nearly
twelve
percent
of
all
Boston
residents.
Populations
has
a
disability
when
you
think.
Oh,
it's
not
individuals,
it's
twelve
percent.
We
have
700,000
people
living
in
the
city
of
Austin.
C
These
Bostonians
contribute
to
our
economy
to
our
city
and
it's
our
duty.
It's
our
duty
as
elected
officials.
Our
duty
as
society,
to
make
sure
that
they
have
accessibility,
is
an
issue
that
we
don't
back
down
on.
We
continue
to
move
forward
on,
we
created
in
the
city,
a
Disabilities
housing
task
force.
We've
made
some
big
strides
in
that
we've
required
more
accessible
units
in
city
funded
projects.
When
we
think
about
how
we
do
our
housing,
we
make
sure
we
have
disability
units
there.
We
have
more
affordable,
accessible
units
in
private
projects.
C
So
when
people
come
in
and
build
the
private
stuff,
we
plan
to
hold
their
feet
to
the
fire
a
little
bit
as
well
to
make
sure
they
create
more
opportunities.
We're
helping
people
get
loans
to
modify
their
homes
for
a
family
member
with
disabilities
in
our
home
works
program
actually
helps
build
handicap
ramps,
so
families
don't
have
to
worry
about
what
happens
when
their
parent
or
somebody's
is
sick
and
they
need
help.
We
want
to
make
sure
we're
there
to
help
them.
C
C
The
technology,
the
health
and
wellness
programs
and
the
social
supports
will
empower
people
to
live
on
their
own,
and
you
know
we
all
like
to
be
able
to
do
our
own
thing,
and
it's
important
that
we
understand
that
and
we
let
people
have
that
option
and
and
help
them
with
that
auction
at
the
heart
of
this
work
is
I
believe
do
your
own
thing
is,
is
the
belief
that
every
single
person
deserves
to
live
with
dignity
and
independence.
Housing
is
a
big
part
of
this,
but
it's
not.
The
only
part
is
happening
here.
C
We
made
the
city
council
chamber
ad
a
compliant
before
in
the
past,
if
you,
if
you're
in
a
wheelchair
or
a
walker-
and
you
want
it
to
testify-
you
have
to
testify
from
the
back
above
looking
down
and
we
change
that.
We
brought
the
floor
up.
So
people
can
now
go
on
to
the
city
hall
floor
for
chamber.
We're
renovating
City
Hall
plaza
to
make
sure
City,
Hall
plaza
is
accessible
all
of
City
Hall.
C
We
don't
want
people
to
be
able
to
be
excluded
from
any
part
of
the
City
Hall,
including
going
over
the
bricks
to
see
Hall
plaza,
so
we're
we're,
making
large
investments
and
changing
the
way
and
I
design
there
we're
rethinking
our
parks
and
playgrounds.
So
everyone's
fully
included
we're
about
to
open
a
parking
in
the
South
Boston
waterfront
named
after
mountain
rich
in
a
fully
inclusive
accessible
park.
C
For
every
kid
there's
no
sign
saying
this
is
a
special
Park
for
you,
kids
go
in
and
there'll
be
something
for
them
to
do,
and
we
took
that
model
and
we're
bringing
that
to
a
whole
city
of
Boston
and
as
we
redo
our
taught
Lots
in
our
playground.
So
that's
that's
the
dot
that
we're
gonna
be
putting
into
those
places.
C
We're
working
to
make
our
streets
and
transportation
networks
more
navigable,
we're
putting
inclusion
at
the
center
of
everything
that
we
do.
This
work
is
about
reaching
higher
it's
about
coming
together
and
tearing
down
barriers,
and
we
have
to
continue
to
do
that.
It's
about
equity,
it's
about
compassion
and
making
the
city
of
Boston
truly
a
city
for
every
single
person
that
lives
in
the
city
again,
I
want
to
thank
all
the
partners.
This
is,
as
was
said
many
times
today.
This
was
not
an
easy
easy
project,
as
Marva
said
it
started
20
years
ago.
C
I
didn't
know
that,
but
I
knew
that
this
they're
never
satisfied
here
and
they're.
Never
satisfied
and
I
know
the
residents
demands
nothing
about
excellence
and
I
want
to
thank
everyone
here,
I'm
proud
of
this
day.
This
is
something
I'm
really
excited
about.
I've
gone
to
a
lot
of
ribbon-cuttings
in
my
time
as
mayor
and
I've,
seen
a
lot
of
great
projects
to
cuddle
project,
a
lot
of
great
ribbons
on
a
lot
of
great
buildings,
but
this
building
here
means
so
much
more.
It's
not
a
building.
C
C
C
D
Thank
you
so
much
mayor
Walsh
if
we
needed
any
evidence
whatsoever
that
we
were
doing
the
right
thing
here
today.
The
Sun
is
out
for
the
first
time
and
God
knows
how
long
and
so
I
think
we'll
take
that
as
confirmation
that
this
special
day
was
the
right
thing
and
so
I
want
to
thank
the
mayor.
I
want
to
thank
the
governor,
senator
Florrie
and
Senator
Collins
and
Senator
Collins
has
truly
jumped
right
in
it.
When
second,
he
took
office
and
said
how
can
we
help?
D
D
D
That
is
the
reason
why
the
Boston
home
sign
says:
1882
they've
been
doing
the
right
thing
since
then,
and
and
that
process
was
a
reflection
of
that,
and
so
I
just
want
to
say
that
as
the
state
representative
of
this
district,
this
is
truly
a
special
and
unifying
day
for
Dorchester
for
the
city
of
Boston
for
the
Boston
home
for
the
disability
community
across
Massachusetts,
because
when
you
think
about
it
too
often
when
we
discuss
those
living
with
disabilities,
it's
framed
as
a
conversation
about
other
people.
That's
a
mistake.
This
isn't
about
other
people.
D
This
is
about
all
of
us.
None
of
us
has
the
ability
to
predict
the
future.
No
one
can
say
whether
or
not
that
they
themselves
or
their
loved
ones
will
have
a
disability.
So
we
have
an
obligation
in
government
and
in
discourse
in
media
to
frame
the
conversation
that
we
owe
it
to
one
another
into
our
collective
future
to
ensure
that
our
housing
supply
is
not
just
affordable,
but
it's
inclusive
for
all,
and
so
today
is
a
milestone
for
a
housing
project.
D
D
E
Thank
You
representative
Colleen
I'm
gonna,
have
him
introduce
me
at
every
event.
I
go.
That
was
great
I
appreciate
it
very
much
so
I
wanted
to
be
here
as
a
state
senator
for
the
district.
I
want
to
thank
the
board
the
leadership
team
at
the
Boston
home,
my
colleagues
in
government
for
making
this
all
happen.
You
know,
I
have
my
relationship
to
the
Boston
home
is
multifaceted.
E
I
got
the
opportunity
to
meet
the
staff
in
the
residence
as
a
state
representative
on
budget
matters
with
representative
Walsh,
then
right
then
representative
Laurie,
and
it
obviously
is
an
incredibly
special
place.
The
staff
is
incredibly
committed.
The
residents
are
resilient
and
I.
Think
that's
a
word
that
sums
up
how
we
got
here
today
and
I
know
there
were
some
challenges
along
the
way,
but
being
a
part
of
something
like
this
is
really
special.
E
That's
a
work
force,
training
organization
for
persons
of
disabilities,
but
with
the
support
of
the
mayor,
the
legislature
last
year
now
mandated
that
7%
of
contracts
and
specific
areas
of
our
contracting
in
the
state
will
be
allocated
for
persons
with
disabilities,
and
so
UMass
Boston
will
be
the
first
agency
to
do
that.
So
in
a
few
weeks,
we're
gonna
hear
that
at
an
event,
and
so
we
should
be
celebrating
that
as
well
because
as
the
mayor
said,
it's
not
just
about
housing.
E
E
G
Thank
You
Janice
I'm,
not
sure
if
you
all
could
hear
just
to
pick
up
on
two
things
that
Jenna
said
she
came
through
Pine
Street,
which
was
great,
and
she
was
talking
to
me
before
before
she
spoke
and
just
was
saying
how
amazing
all
the
parts
of
her
apartment
are
that
she
can
trigger
everything
remotely
from
a
handheld
device
and
she
has
space
for
her
her
scooter.
Her
scooter
gets
around
the
whole
units
and
has
a
lot
of
storage
right.
Thank,
You,
Janice,
yeah,
I'm,
Tara,
Mizrahi
I,
am
from
affirmative
investments.
G
We
were,
as
people
mentioned,
the
co
developers
of
this
project,
and
we
appreciate
Janice's
story
because
really
this
is
this
is
why
we
did
the
project.
We
really
were
looking
to
find
affordable
homes
for
people
that
allowed
stability
and
independence,
and
we
really
hope
it's
going
to
be
a
supportive
community
to
you,
Janice
and
to
others.
We
hope
you
enjoy
it
here.
This
is
a
wonderful
day
for
those
of
us
who
are
in
the
trenches,
as
we've
talked
about
this
day,
kept
being
frustratingly
right
beyond
our
reach.
G
But
we
are
here
today
and
we
were
really
happy
and
we
thank
you
for
the
persistence
of
those
who
are
in
the
trenches
with
us
to
get
us
here.
It
truly
has
fulfilled
our
hopes
and
our
vision
for
a
new
kind
of
home
and
I
know.
I
speak
for
many
here
too.
What
we've
achieved
so
we
we
Tru.
We
are
excited
to
show
you
our
really
beautiful,
building
which
we
will
do
after
this,
but
because
I'm
so
grateful
for
all
the
people
that
have
helped.
G
They
really
just
need
to
take
a
couple
of
minutes
to
think
those
who
may
not
have
been
thanked.
Yet
you
will
notice
that,
on
the
back
of
the
program
our
development
team
has
written
up,
and
these
people,
you
know
really
were
put
a
huge
amount
of
effort
into
getting
us
to
where
we
are
today:
Columbia,
DeMille's,
Schaffer,
Peabody
properties,
Holland
and
Knight
Aspen,
and
then
our
own
really
devoted
teams
that
affirmative
and
the
Boston
home
did
an
amazing
job
getting
us
this
model
of
mixed
income,
independent
housing
for
those
with
chronic
illness
and
disabilities.
G
We
can't
thank
you
enough.
We've
also
heard
from
the
mayor,
Thank,
You
mayor
and
the
representative
and
state
about
the
support
from
the
Commonwealth
we
work
closely,
but
with
both
mass
housing
and
and
Sheila's
group
at
D
and
E,
and
the
Department
of
Housing
Human
Development,
the
city
in
the
state
not
only
provided
critical
financing
for
this,
but
also
just
invaluable
support
throughout
the
development
process.
G
Getting
this
first
in
Massachusetts,
Housing
Project,
both
approved
and
dealing
with
what
we
dealt
with
through
construction,
two
other
financial
partners
that
really
were
great
resources,
not
just
in
financing,
but
also
just
with
the
their
knowledge
about
supportive
housing,
our
Capital
One
and
the
national
equity
fund,
who
are
also
here
with
us.
Today.
G
So
speaking,
of
which
the
community
I
thought
I'd
just
give
you
a
bit
of
color
of
the
residents
that
are
actually
moving
in
so
while
not
all
of
them
are
in
yet
we
are
just
in
the
kind
of
final
approval
processes
we
know
who
they
all
are
and
we're
working
on
getting
them
scheduled.
We
we
started
with
over
two
thousand
applications
that
were
submitted
within
a
matter
of
weeks.
Obviously,
this
details,
the
immense
need
for
affordable
housing
and
supportive
housing
that
has
been
talked
about
today.
So
within
that
group
we
found
our
current
community.
G
A
hundred
percent
of
the
residents
need
the
accessible
features
of
this
building.
Ninety
percent
of
our
residents
need
the
supportive
services
that
are
provided
in
this
building.
Approximately
half
are
diagnosed
with
MS,
CP
or
ALS,
and
approximately
a
quarter
of
our
units
are
actually
filled
by
families,
which
brings
us
immense
joy.
You
know,
as
many
people
in
this
population
know,
it's
really
hard
to
find
family
housing.
That's
both
supportive
and
available
for
with
the
handicapped
and
independent
elements
that
we
have
here.
G
So
we
would
like
to
invite
everybody
in
now
into
the
building
to
see
the
units
just
just
because
we
do
have
some
residents
living
here
and
we
might.
We
don't
want
to
have
congestion,
we're
actually
going
to
start,
maybe
with
the
with
a
group
on
the
stage
and
show
them
if
people
wanted
to
just
grab
a
little
bite
to
eat,
they
can
come
in
after
I
think
we
are
gonna
start
I,
didn't
talk
to
the
city,
I
think
we're
gonna
start
with
one
big
picture.