Dear Editor,
The recording of the Annual Public CPC Meeting is not up. I had submitted an email since I could not attend. I thank those on the board who took the time to engage with it. I am part of Housing for All Watertown (HAW), and it is no secret that I am pro dentistry and diversity. However, the email (see below) was written from the lens of someone who deeply cares about persons with special needs and having family age in place with others.
The call for CPC funds to be allocated to more housing is not new to the CPC board, and it predates the formation of HAW. There are 4 and half pages on housing needs per the board’s 2022 Annual Year-End Report. https://content.civicplus.com/api/assets/0e2ac721-212a-4561-b2a6-6abdd04c8ebc?cache=1800
As I noted in my email, the Affordable Housing Trust has made the call for more Senior and Special Needs housing. We live in a time when loneliness and lack of community is a scourge on society. Many senior citizens cannot afford to move into a communal residence, nor can their houses accommodate an extended family situation. Who is left to tend to these senior citizens? Their neighbors, if available and willing. The disabilities community is in worse shape in terms of loneliness and housing. The Commonwealth has great services and people from all over the nation come here for those services. With The Perkins School and other facilities, Watertown, in particular, has been a community that supports persons with disabilities.