Lynn group eyes home for families

LYNN – The number of GAP – grandparents as parents – families living in Lynn has more than tripled over the last decade, and the Highlands Coalition is making housing for them a priority.”It’s the fastest growing part of our demographics,” said Coalition President David Gass. “Whether it’s illness, jail or death, they are (grandparents) raising their grandkids.”Gass said the coalition is seeking to become a Community Development Corporation under the state’s MACDC program so it can buy a three-family home, renovate it as a place for GAP families to live, and acquire services and support.The MACDC’s mission is to support and grow affordable housing as well as economic development for its members, of whom is has 90, according to its website, macdc.org.”It’s a really good way to invest in a neighborhood no one else wants to invest in,” Gass said.The group would apply to the Housing Authority for HOMES Funds, which are aimed at providing low-income housing and a standard loan from a lender, Gass said. Residents, likely chosen via lottery, would pay less than average rent, he added.Ideally the coalition would buy a three-family in the Highlands, which would give residents the added ability to attend night classes at the Ford Elementary School, Gass noted. The Ford School is a community school, has a community garden and offers evening English Language Learner classes for adults.Gass said all the GAP families he has spoken with like the idea, and so do those in Pamela Freeman’s support group. Freeman is the program director for Lynn Community Connections Coalition and meets with about 20 GAP families each month.”You should see the wish list they have for this house,” she said.Freeman said the grandparents aren’t looking for a fancy high rise; just a few amenities such as a small park, an office where they could find a sympathetic ear: a support system, in other words.”They’re tired,” she said. “They’ve never parented in this era.”A 2002 census conducted in Lynn and Lowell showed there were 2,700 GAP families in Lynn alone.”That number has tripled since then,” she said. “It’s sad, because it is largely due to substance abuse.”Freeman said she worries about their financial future. Seniors who are getting $2,000 a month in retirement are having to stretch that when they suddenly find themselves with a couple of grandchildren.”They’re not eligible for food stamps,” she said. “The $2,000 she was living off of doesn’t increase or expand. It’s really hard on them.”The grandparents are often embarrassed, are sometimes forced to hide the children, depending on their own living arrangements, and often feel isolated. Giving GAP families a home, where there are others facing the same challenges would be an enormous help, Freeman said.”It would be very supportive,” Gass said. “Even if we brought in coin-op laundry ? a little lending library. The kids would grow up in more of a community atmosphere.”Freeman said she has faith the project will come to fruition.”I believe this will be something of a new era,” she said. “I’m hoping and praying to have a big ribbon-cutting soon.”Chris Stevens can be reached at [email protected].