New Horizons Wins State Grant

Longtime friends from the Connecticut Health and Educational Facilities Authority presented New Horizons residents with a $75,000 check Thursday to help with the costs of new air conditioning units at the village.

CHEFA is a state bond authority that issues tax-exempt bonds for nonprofits. This year the bond authority resumed a $1 million grant program that had been on hold for the past two years.

New Horizons, among 14 nonprofits awarded a piece of the grant, received the maximum award of $75,000.

Addressing many residents and friends assembled for the presentation, New Horizons Executive Director Michael Shaw said the authority’s representatives had been “generous friends and also good friends over the years.”

New Horizons Village is a unique apartment complex that enables adults with physical disabilities to live independently by providing support services and financial aid.

Shaw explained that New Horizons’ founders had fought to bring the dream of such a barrier-free living facility to life. They did it, he said, with a 10-year balloon mortgage.

“At the end of 10 years, we had to come up with $6 million,” Shaw said. “No one wanted to take responsibility for making sure the dream stayed alive… but that’s what CHEFA did.”

The bond authority refinanced New Horizons’ mortgage and has continued to aid them over the years.

“What we helped do here is so important and I’m glad we can help,” said Jeffrey Asher, CHEFA executive director. “I feel such a special connection with you and what you do here. When the application came in I was an advocate in making sure the grant when through.”

The money will go toward replacing air conditioners in many of the development’s original apartments. Many of the air conditioners broke last year and they expect more to follow. The units are so old that they can no longer be repaired but must be replaced, Shaw said.

“This will cover most of the cost,” Shaw said.