New Britain, CT Dakota Partners has been named a recipient of a Homeless Prevention Response Fund (HPRF) grant in the amount of $1.27 million to be used for the 16 units earmarked for formerly homeless residents at Columbus Commons, and dispersed over the next 10 years. The grant is being drawn from funds received by the Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH) from the Connecticut Department of Housing (DOH). The purpose of the grant is to expand supportive housing opportunities throughout Connecticut by providing financial assistance in the form of a capitalized operating reserve account for operational uses. 

According to the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, “Study after study has shown that supportive housing not only resolves homelessness and increases housing stability, but also improves health and lowers public costs by reducing the use of publicly-funded crisis services, including shelters, hospitals, psychiatric centers, jails, and prisons.” With these funds, Dakota will work with the Chrysalis Center, a private, non-profit third-party service provider to offer counseling and support to these formerly homeless residents to ensure they have the resources they need for future success.

Columbus Commons was completed in 2020 and is comprised of 80 apartment units, 64 of which are affordable units that provide much-needed housing for low-income individuals and families. Of those, 48 of the one- and two-bedrooms are workforce units offered at 50-60% AMI; 16 accept 811 vouchers, which only requires the residents to pay 30% of income for rent; and 5 are exclusively earmarked for homeless individuals or families. 

As a real estate developer and builder, Dakota Partners develops affordable, workforce and market-rate housing communities across New England, New York and the mid-Atlantic states. At the core of every project is Dakota’s mission to create housing that matters – to residents, the community, and the environment.

Chrysalis Center helps those living in poverty, veterans, women and children, young adults and individuals who are struggling with mental health, addiction, HIV/AIDS, homelessness, and those returning from incarceration. Through job training, housing and other community healthcare services, Chrysalis Center helps individuals transform their lives.