Danbury is looking to help a non-profit acquire the Super 8 motel on Lake Avenue Extension so that it can be run as a homeless shelter. The City is applying for an $11 million Community Development Block Grant from the state Department of Housing.
Danbury started using the hotel as a homeless shelter at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The grant is being made available to the City as a pass-through to Pacific House, which will negotiate the purchase price, and then own and operate the facility as a shelter. The money for the grant comes to the state from the federal government.
Mayor Mark Boughton says this will allow for the proper and efficient provision of homeless facilities and services during COVID-19. Boughton says the grant is not tied to this building if the deal falls through.
He notes that Pacific House has a tremendous donor base in lower Fairfield County that the City doesn't currently have access to. The organization houses 105 tenants in 15 buildings in Stamford and 2 buildings in Norwalk. It's an emergency shelter, and includes meals. Case management is focused on housing.
