Housing Authority receives grant to improve Kemp House
By Ken Powers Contributing Writer

Westborough - During his gubernatorial campaign, Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick pledged, if elected, to help and support everyone of Massachusetts, but especially the middle class and those state residents who face added hardships for one reason or another.

The governor and his staff are already following through on such campaign pledges, and in one case in particular, the beneficiary is the Kemp House, a residential group home for persons with disabilities located at 83 East Main Street.

Linda Strand, executive director of the Westborough Housing Authority (WHA), announced recently that the town has received a grant for $34,000 from the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) to help with the cost of refurbishing two of the bathrooms in the house and making the shower rooms in those bathroom wheelchair accessible.

"We are very grateful to the governor as well as the DHCD for their continued support of all of our programs but we are especially appreciative for this grant because it allows us to perform a necessary modernization of the bath facilities at the Kemp House," Strand said. "The residents' quality of life will benefit greatly from this improvement to their living environment."

Strand, who said the Kemp House has eight residents, said the application for this grant was submitted about three months ago.

"I don't know if it was something that got fast-tracked," Strand said, "but the turnaround was very quick. We normally don't hear about grants we've applied for this fast. Usually it takes more than twice this long to be notified."

Strand credited Patrick with how quickly the grant was approved.

"The governor has stated and campaigned that he is a true supporter of decent, safe, accessible and aff ordable housing, be it group housing, middle-class housing or lowincome house," Strand said. "I think situations like this prove that the governor is true to his word."

While the grant application may have had the watchful eye of Patrick on it as it progressed through the State House, it was certainly watched very closely by local politicians, including State Sen. Pamela P. Resor, DActon, and State Rep. Karyn E. Polito, R-Shrewsbury, who both released statements of congratulations to the WHA and Strand.

"This grant to the Westborough Housing Authority provides an excellent opportunity for improving care for some of our most vulnerable residents," Resor said in a statement. "State investment for improving housing facilities is essential to our community."

"I'm very pleased that this grant was awarded to the Westborough Housing Authority, who will certainly use these funds to improve the lives of many in our community by improving the affordable housing facilities in our towns," Polito said. "I will continue to advocate for state aid to raise the quality of life in all our cities and towns."

Strand said the grant for the bathroom improvement is the second grant the WHA has received recently. She said the department has also received a grant for $60,000 to replace doors at the town's Cedar Estates development.