The Oct. 29 ribbon-cutting ceremony of the impressive Mendes-Monteiro House in Dartmouth brought together project team members and supporters to celebrate a sometimes-bumpy, but overall fulfilling, project that might have failed, many said, if not for the tenacity of Partners in Housing lead developer, Connie Desbiens.
Again and again, those expressing delight and satisfaction over the incredible accomplishment of opening the 7,600 square-foot hybrid-model, mental health supportive home paused to point out how close the project came to ending before construction ever began. But the determination of
Desbiens and the entire team’s commitment to the value of and need for housing for older adults with mental health challenges kept them going.
“There are so many opportunities where you say, this is just not going to happen,” said Partners in Housing President Michael Gagne about those moments. “Connie doesn’t have that in her vocabulary. She has the courage, the desire, the dedication, and the commitment to make it happen.”
One of the biggest hurdles came just as the project was nearing construction when the pandemic hit. The extended delay raised new challenges including the need for additional funding.
But once the project got the greenlight, South Coast Improvement builders put shovels in the ground and, exactly 364 days later, the Mendes-Monteiro House, was ready to open. It will be home to 10 people with six small apartment-style spaces and a four-bedroom suite for residents needing more intensive services.
“As we know, this development project was a labor of love and that without (Connie’s) grit and determination, this would not have become a reality,” said Sue Plasse, Southeastern Regional Director for the state Department of Mental Health.
Plasse also thanked the families of Joseph Mendes and Joseph Monteiro, two longtime directors on the Dartmouth Housing Authority board.
“The legacy of Joseph Mendes and Joseph Monteiro and all that they have done for the community is now memorialized and will be remembered and celebrated long and for the future whenever someone walks through these beautiful doors,” she said.
Robert Monteiro, Joseph Monteiro’s nephew, acknowledged the presence of his aunt and Joe Monteiro’s widow, who at age 102, was present for the ribbon cutting. The house, he said, “is a true testament, not only to my uncle and Mr. Mendes, but to the many residents of this town and Housing Authority members who envisioned a building of this type for the purpose it serves.”
“Joe Mendes was a man born of humble beginnings, but he believed, like most of his generation, in giving back,” Mendes’ daughter said via a message. “He would be honored and proud to know that his name is associated with this worthy and much-needed project, along with his fellow board member and friend, Joe Monteiro.”
The retired director of the Dartmouth Housing Authority, Desbiens expressed gratitude for the project team. She was also happy, she said, to see a useable outdoor space created between the Mendes-Monteiro House and Anderson Way Housing Authority site.
“What I always hoped to be able to do was clean that up and thanks to MassWorks…we made a beautiful walking path around (the pond) to unite the two communities,” she said. “Because it’s all about aging in place. It’s all about giving our elderly the dignity and the pride to finish their lives.”
Buddy Baker Smith, Dartmouth’s Ccommunity Preservation chair, acknowledged the town’s $1M project support and acknowledged the need for mental health housing. “You can’t see the finished walls to that (mental health) work, but it’s extremely important infrastructure, if you will, that has been done on (the state’s) end to be ready for a place like this,” he said. “This will be one of my reminders about what is best about our communities when we act together and we stay together.”
Gagne suggested Partners in Housing would like to help other towns create similar housing. “We want to keep it (going),” he said. “We’re hoping to (share) those resources…to help (other towns’) housing authorities build the kind of housing that’s affordable and necessary for seniors.”
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