Townsend Woods

The phone has been ringing off the hook at Atwood Acres. People are eagerly awaiting the lottery that will determine who gets to live in the new Townsend Woods apartment building.

[Jim]

It will be interesting to see how many elderly Townsend residents get to live there vs low income out of staters. let the process being!!

[bormin]

Have to agree that not many of the people that have supported this town for years and have raised their children here will be among the new residents. Just as in the case of the Habitat for Humanity house it will be another one of the subsidized housing for "new residents" of this town. In this respect it isn't unlike the whole country now which is a great tragedy for us all.My children won't be able to live here and I won't be able to retire here. I will head south.

[Sue- Ashby MA]

The Townsend Woods project is a federally financed property, with additional support from the Massachusetts DHCD. HUD does not allow for preferences to local or even in-state applicants. Any person who is age and income eligible will have an equal chance of being placed through this lottery system. Those who applied early will not have a jump on those who applied later. If local applicants were given first preference, the government would consider it an unfair advantage. If Townsend residents end up not well represented among the original tenants, it will probably be because very few locals have applied, and so many more non-residents have taken the opportunity to do so.