NORTHAMPTON — Outside the community center of Meadowbrook Apartments, dozens of people cheerfully listened to music and ate barbeque food as face painted-children ran around with balloon animals.
Congressman James McGovern took those sights as evidence that the comprehensive model of bringing services to the affordable housing development is working.
“There’s a lot of happy people out there,” he said.
Meadowbrook is a 252-unit affordable housing apartment complex in Florence owned by nonprofit Preservation of Affordable Housing. As part of the development’s mission, staff help connect residents with services such as the WIC food program and people like the Northampton Police Department’s school resource officer and a dental hygienist.
McGovern met with Northampton Mayor David Narkewicz and officials from POAH and other community groups Wednesday afternoon, as the residents were celebrating summer at their annual cookout.
Aaron Gornstein, chief executive of POAH, said that Meadowbrook’s success would have been impossible without the support of the city, state and federal governments through programs such as Community Development Block Grants and loans.
“We’re really committed to making sure people of all income levels can live in Northampton,” Narkewicz said.
Meadowbrook was set to be turned into market-rate units by its former owner, until POAH purchased the property in 2004. Narkewicz said former mayor Clare Higgins helped make that happen.
Meadowbrook Residential Services Coordinator Violet Matos told the gathering about recent initiatives at the property. Earlier this summer, Matos brought in a dental hygienist to help deliver services to residents, many of whom do not have easy access to dental care.
Project Bread this summer is running a summer lunch program for children who rely on school lunch for a free or affordable meal during the school year. In July, the Meadowbrook program served over 700 lunches.
“This is the definition of what a community is,” McGovern said. “It’s something we should be replicating all over the state, all over the country.
While the congressman was widely lauded by those at the meeting for his work on hunger, he was the first to concede that there’s still a lot to be done in that realm.
“We need to do better,” he said. “We’re the richest country in the world and people are still hungry.”
Chris Lindahl can be reached at clindahl@gazettenet.com