"This
campus is unique in the country," Mayor Curtatone said, adding that the
two developments make Somerville "a model for affordable housing."

"These
projects are incredibly complex. Lots of these types of projects never
get finished," Congressman Capuano said, adding that this project's
success is a reflection of the commitment of those involved. "I think
the results speak for themselves."

The projects, by relying upon
an array of public and private institutions for funding, are among the
first to successfully use the so-called "mixed financing" approach to
public housing, in which the public and private sectors cooperate to
fund new public housing projects. While it is innovative, the financial
complexities of this approach make it difficult to implement,
especially in the current economic environment.

"We had to face
the worst time to borrow money," said Joe Macaluso, the Executive
Director of the Somerville Housing Authority (SHA), in reference to the
economic recession. "The fact that we held it together when we thought
it was doomed to market forces is a testament to all those who
supported us."

The SHA and the Visiting Nurse Association (VNA)
created a unique partnership by working together on both developments,
which are located right next to each other on Alewife Brook Parkway in
Somerville. The completed 99-unit Assisted Living Project, modeled
after the VNA's successful Lowell Street assisted-living community,
will provide an affordable assisted-living alternative to seniors for
whom private-and often expensive-assisted-living communities are
currently the only option.

"We knew, after we built the first
one, that we'd have to build another," Linda Cornell, president of the
VNA, told the audience at Monday's event, held in the dining room of
the new facility. "As a combination of senior housing and public
housing, it had to be done," she explained.

The second
building-construction of which is to begin soon-will replace 64
antiquated, now-demolished affordable housing units for seniors with 95
units of affordable housing for low- and middle-income seniors who wish
to live independently. Its completion will mark the first new
affordable housing for seniors in over thirty years, according to
Macaluso.

In what Monday's speakers hailed as yet another
innovation, a bridge will eventually be constructed between the two
buildings, enabling seniors living independently in the Capen Court
development to interact with the seniors at the VNA's assisted-living
facility next door. Capen Court residents will also have access to the
dining area and nursing staff at the VNA building.

"We need more
and more to have a spectrum of ways for people to live and get care,"
said Pat Jehlen. "There is a need for alternatives in between
independent living and nursing homes."

To round out a dizzying
array of accomplishments, speakers said, the new building incorporates
a range of environmentally-friendly building technologies. Solar panels
on the roof will help offset energy consumption, and rainwater,
collected in a 10,000 gallon tank, will be used to irrigate the lawns
and flush toilets, Cornell explained.

"What we've done,"
Macaluso said, reviewing the quality and innovations of both projects,
"is set a standard for how we're going to treat our seniors."