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Rebuilding Roxbury, Massachusetts

Bob visits a rooming house near Boston in Roxbury, Massachusetts. A new concept in housing is being developed here, a grass-roots development corporation called Nuestra Comunidad (�Our Community� in English) is converting a antique abandoned buildings to single-room-occupancy or SRO housing for low-income and homeless people. The buildings are laid out with common living rooms, kitchens and bathrooms. By doing this they convert a building that would normally house six apartments to nineteen rental units.
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Rebuilding Roxbury, Massachusetts

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" We're in Roxbury one of Boston's oldest neighborhoods and a community in transition. Like many urban areas Roxbury has its share of abandoned buildings. But here there's a unique grassroots effort to reclaim these buildings and renovate them to provide housing for the homeless. It's called SRO. Let's get together with Evelyn Friedman Vargas director of mystical -- that development corporation. And take a look at this new housing concept."

" SRO doesn't mean standing room only in the theater means single room occupancy right that's correct that's happened it's a rooming house that's right that's exactly the concept. And nobody's building rooming houses in the city no nobody's building them any more and in fact many have diminished as buildings have been turned into single family home why do you think it's important to to be developing a house like this into rooming house essentially. Well one of the main reasons for homelessness is not having this kind of housing for single individuals right tell us about at least an -- when he got our community in Spanish that's a nonprofit organization that you work with. What have you done."

" We've developed -- 150 units of rental housing and reclaim them had been abandoned dorm and very bad repair yes and we've also developed them sixty units of housing that we've sold to moderate income people."

" So you're bringing lower income and moderate income into the fabric of the neighbor had any also restoring some of the antique buildings here howled -- this."

" This building is more than a 150 years old and it was named after doctor Daley who practiced here for many years."

" K now how do you. Laid out differently than an apartment house for -- let's go in and I'll show you."

" So this is very contemporary in here had to gut the place -- that's correct."

" In a building of this size we're normally able to -- about six apartment units but because we're doing. As Saro type of housing are able to accommodate 1918. How do you do it. We do it by having common living rooms common baths and common kitchens we take a look at kitchen and that."

" But let me thank -- general contract hi frank how are you it's my pleasure. Are you from the neighborhood -- about it. Local contractor that's great. The cabinets look a little bit Lou Grant that they give up these cabinets are set for handicapped accessibility. Hopefully I as a whole building set up for handicapped accessible you know because this very first floor. OK how many people will use this kitchen and four and and that is comfortable could we look at one of the finished rooms. Shell -- wanted to -- this one more complete grace became obvious that. How many of these rooms will you have on this floor."

" This sub floor has six rooms to -- adds a community kitchen and community room a community living room communities."

" Solid core doors. This is a very respectable size proved correct yes -- that's -- small audience it's approximately ten by fourteen and move windows. Acoustical ceiling. Slash closet. And what kind of flooring will you put down -- going to be using obesity. -- vinyl flooring and will it be furnished out."

" Yes we'll have a bed Dresser carpet. On the floor a small refrigerator. And it's lamp."

" Terrific and of course a beautiful view of the downtown Boston skyline."

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