Villa Victoria, an affordable housing community in Boston’s South End, is in the midst of a $17.6 million rehabilitation.
Thousands of Puerto Ricans, struggling to find their place in America, have called Villa Victoria home for more than three decades.
The private, nonprofit housing community, located along a three-block span in Boston’s South End, has distinguished itself from other affordable housing developments over the years. Its residents have a deep sense of community pride and activism, its leaders say.
Villa Victoria’s community pride will be on display this week as residents celebrate their artistic and cultural heritage at the annual Festival Betances.
This year, they’ll have one more achievement to toast – a $17.6 million state- and federally guaranteed private redevelopment loan that has helped them launch the first phase of a major rehabilitation project.
Some 181 housing units will be renovated and a new Latino arts center will be constructed by the end of the year.
“This is an important time for this organization, because what we’ve been able to accomplish is the preservation of housing for low- and moderate-income families,” particularly at a time when affordable housing is so scarce, said David Cortiella, executive director of IBA-ETC, the tenant-run management organization of Villa Victoria.
Villa Victoria was established in 1968 by Puerto Rican residents of a South End community that was being threatened by the urban renewal movement. Many of the residents were poor working immigrants who did not understand the language and customs of their new country.
They were devastated to see their decaying community being torn up. Several neighborhood activists demanded to be part of the re-creation of their neighborhood.
The tenants and activists eventually won the battle to control the redevelopment of their community. What resulted was Villa Victoria, some 900 housing units for low- and moderate-income families.
Today, Villa Victoria is home to approximately 3,000 residents, 72 percent of whom are Hispanic, said Cortiella.
“A sense of community prevails here,” Cortiella said. “There is a high level of community participation and civic involvement.”
The community participation can be as simple as cooking a special dish for an annual celebration or running for a spot on the Villa Victoria community board made up of 12 residents and five non-residents, Cortiella said.
‘Exciting Time’
Villa Victoria gets support from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Massachusetts Housing Finance Agency, which guarantees its financing and provides subsidies to individual residents.
Villa Victoria does not simply provide housing. Many tenants take advantage of the other services that are offered there, such as the recently expanded day-care center for preschool-age children and the cultural and performing arts center.
Soon, the residents will also have a new Latino arts center. A former parish house for Lutheran clergy nearby will be converted into dance and art studios, gallery space, a bookstore, a computer room for cyber-arts and a box office.
The parish house is adjacent to an old Lutheran Church that Villa Victoria has been using since 1986 as a performing arts center. The center, which can accommodate 450 people, is used by the residents and is rented out for corporate events and performances.
“It’s an exciting time,” said Cortiella, explaining that part of Villa Victoria’s original mission was to promote the arts.
“This is a culmination of what our pioneers felt was important in keeping the arts alive for our young people,” he said.
The first phase of the rehabilitation project also includes the complete renovation of 181 units. The homes will get new kitchens, bathrooms, ventilation systems, lighting fixtures and floors, said Cortiella.
The buildings will get painted and new landscaping will be planted. All of the apartments will be wired for high-speed Internet access that will be connected to Villa Victoria’s own network operating center, said Cortiella.
Cortiella explained that the program to “bridge the digital divide” is supported by Cisco Systems. The goal is to put a computer, printer and Internet access “into the hands” of every tenant, he said.
The rehabilitation of the buildings and grounds of Villa Victoria will be managed through a joint partnership of ETC (Emergency Tenants Council), which manages the day-to-day operations of the community, and Cornu Management Co., a Boston-based real estate services firm that serves nonprofit, affordable housing communities.
The second phase of the rehab project will include the renovation of 191 more housing units.
