EnVision Center - Soundview Landing Phase Two Virtual Ribbon Cutting Program
To view the Virtual Ribbon Cutting Program from October 13, 2020 click here.
Norwalk celebrates new EnVision Center, housing
Above, Welcome Home! Trinity Staff stand outside the newly completed phase II housing at Soundview Landing.
The Norwalk Housing Authority hosted a virtual ribbon cutting for Soundview Landing, the second phase of housing funded under its Choice Neighborhoods Implementation grant. The ceremony also celebrated the designation of Norwalk Housing Authority's new EnVision Center which will be housed at Soundview Landing but serve all area residents.
Secretary Carson in a videotaped message commented on the impact of EnVision Centers, "My firm belief is that our measure of success is not how many people we can bring into HUD assistance, but how many people we can lift up and beyond it onto a path of self-sufficiency and upward mobility."
Norwalk's EnVision Center, the second in New England and 58th in the country, will be a centralized hub that serves as an incubator to support the four key pillars of self-sufficiency- (1) Economic Empowerment, (2) Educational Advancement, (3) Health and Wellness, and (4) Character and Leadership.
"The EnVision Center designation will drive collaboration across federal agencies, state and local governments, non-profits, faith-based organizations, and the private sector to offer services that respond to the unique needs of Norwalk's residents," said HUD New England Regional Administrator David Tille.
Brian Bidolli, Executive Director of Norwalk Redevelopment Agency called the EnVision Center Designation "An unprecedented opportunity that has driven meaningful results."
HUD awarded the Housing Authority of the City of Norwalk a $500,000 Choice Neighborhoods Planning grant in 2010 and a $30 million Choice Neighborhoods Implementation grant in 2013. Additionally, HUD provided nearly $10 million in CDBG-DR funds that were used for resiliency related site improvements that were allocated by the State of Connecticut as a result of damages sustained from Super Storm Sandy.
Together, the Soundview Landing phases will replace the 136-unit Washington Village public housing complex, the oldest public housing complex in Connecticut when it was demolished, with a total of 273 new apartment units, a mixture of public housing, supportive housing, tax credit, and market rate units. These new units have spurred development in the area including additional residential and commercial investment.