CT city adding low-income apartments aimed at women escaping domestic abuse

With all 24 apartments in the restored Berkowitz Building leased out, the Chrysalis Center Housing Development Corp. is constructing an second complex next door that will provide another 22 affordable apartments along with six low-income housing units in New Britain.

The Berkowitz II will provide two-bedroom apartments, and is aimed in part at helping low-income women who have been victimized by domestic abuse to move out of shelters into their own apartments.

Chrysalis is targeting 22 apartments to families making substantially lower-than-average incomes. The other six will be priced for people making less than 30 percent of the area’s media income; that currently means an earnings cap of $29,250 for a couple or $36,550 for a family of four.

“I feel strongly that we must continue building projects just like this one in order to help drive down prices by increasing supply and ensure there are housing options for those of all income levels here in New Britain,” Mayor Erin Stewart said at a ceremony late last month.

“It is essential to the current and future success of our community that we continue to develop a diverse portfolio of housing stock so that people from all walks of life have the opportunity to call New Britain home,” she said.

The city is in the midst of a huge upswing in apartment construction, especially downtown where developers are putting up hundreds of market-rate units. But there has been far less growth in the less lucrative sector of affordable and low-income housing.

Chrysalis, a private nonprofit that works with the poor, the homeless, and others in need, bought the historic Berkowitz Building last year from Douglas Bromfield’s Homestead Investments for $5 million. Bromfield had nearly completed extensive reconstruction of the four-story building, which had been an abandoned eyesore for more than a decade before that.

Chrysalis completed the work, and now rents out the 24 apartments there. Some are restricted to tenants making no more than 60 percent of the area’s median income, the rest are for those making up to 50 percent.

Chrysalis also acquired a vacant field alongside the Berkowitz, and is now starting construction on Berkowitz II — an all-new, two-story building.

“The Berkowitz leased up in a month, we couldn’t believe the demand. There was a waiting list after one month. I believe it has something to do with all the higher-end units being built downtown; there’s a need here,” said Sharon Castelli, chief executive officer of Chrysalis.

Chrysalis is looking at a nearly $11.2 million estimate for Berkowitz II, with construction by Montagno Construction accounting for almost $9.2 million. Gov. Ned Lamont’s administration, which has been pushing for more housing options across the state, is providing aid through the state housing department.

“I want to thank Commissioner Seila Mosquera-Bruno and her staff at the Connecticut Department of Housing for supporting the Berkowitz II development because they know projects like this one are essential to creating sustainable and vibrant communities where all individuals and families have access to safe and affordable housing,” Stewart said.

Castelli anticipates a roughly 15-month schedule to complete the building, and is looking to have tenants moving in around the fall of 2025.

“We’ve already had people stopping by asking ‘Where do I get my application?,” she said.

The location between downtown and the city’s popular Little Poland section is good, she said, and the main CTfastrak station is barely a third of a mile away.

Castelli’s organization has a series of housing complexes through Greater Hartford, and she said there is a steady demand for more. Middle-class residents can quickly fall into need for affordable housing if circumstances change abruptly, she said.

“There can be a fine line when a sick kid needs hospitalization, insurance runs out. People may need different housing that fits in their budget,” she said. “We got into this work because we were seeing so many substandard housing options out there for the people we serve.”