By Kerri Williams and Ken Valenti

This is part two of a multi-part series on affordable housing in Westport.

WESTPORT – For Stacie Curran, it means that her adult son with disabilities can live on his own, using the skills that he learned during his years at Westport schools.

For Tara Welch, who works as a preschool teacher in town, it means her two young sons can feel safe when riding the bus and attending school sporting events. 

And for RonSheika Ruffin, it means a new start for herself and her five children, who had been living with friends in Stamford.

Huge impact

While they have very different stories, all three women say that affordable housing in town has had a huge impact on their lives.

They are three of the lucky ones. When the wait list for affordable housing through the Westport Housing Authority opens up, usually every four to five years, thousands of applications come in, according to Carol Martin, head of the authority. People on the list are numbered randomly using software, she said.

In addition, she said the authority annually reaches out to each person on the list to see if they want to remain on it. “There’s not a lot of turnover,” she said.

Dylan Curran

But for those who break through, opportunities abound. Through affordable housing, Curran’s son Dylan Curran, 24, could stop living in her home and instead be an independent adult at a residence on Riverside Avenue, where four people with disabilities each have a separate unit. The home, which is run through Abilis, has a house manager who is there in the evenings.

“He is thriving,” Curran said of her son’s progress since living on his own. “The Westport schools worked so hard to teach him to be independent. This is really what everyone dreams of.”

Stacie Curran, who founded the adult social Club 203 for people with disabilities, said she quickly discovered that almost all the young adults in the group were living at home with their parents, sometimes in the basement or attic. 

“If that doesn’t scream that there is a need for housing, I don’t know what does,” she said.

The whole idea of “community-based living” came out of the landmark 1999 lawsuit Olmstead v. L.C., in which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that people with disabilities should be able to live in the community, according to Jim Ross, chair of the Commission on People with Disabilities.

Dylan was placed on a waiting list for housing as soon as he turned 18 and waited five years before becoming eligible. He was not originally slated to live in the Riverside Avenue unit, but when another applicant changed plans, he was able to move in this year. “The timing worked out,” Curran said. “What an unbelievable space it is.”

Dylan works in the Staples High School cafeteria in addition to going into the Westport police department once a week to shred documents and complete other tasks. He also picks up litter by the side of the road along Main Street for the Westport Downtown Association.

“I’m going to get emotional,” Curran said when describing her son’s progress. “It’s about giving them wings and letting them fly.”

Tara Welch

The story is just as emotional for Tara Welch, 36. She knew she had to get her two young sons out of Bridgeport when there was a shooting at a baseball game where her son was playing. That incident, about five years ago, was the last straw in a series of troubles, including the texts from her older son sometimes sent during the day that his school was on lockdown.

“I remember my son coming home and saying that a kid set (another) kid’s hair on fire on the bus,” she said. Her sons are now 14 and 10 years old.

The Wolcott native had moved to Bridgeport at age 22 to be closer to her job as a preschool teacher in Westport. Determined to find someplace safer, she set her sights on the town where she worked. 

“Working out here, I know the dynamic, I know the families,” she said.

But, while supporting herself and the two boys on her salary, market-rate housing was out of reach. It took two years to land an affordable unit. When she did, she traded the 1,600-square-foot Bridgeport apartment for a studio with only 543 square feet. That was a tight fit for the family of three, but Welch felt it was worth it to be in Westport.

“It’s very hard to get in, but once you’re in, you’re very well taken care of with resources in the town – the sports, the community,” she said. “It’s more like a family once you’re in.”

Also, there’s peace of mind.

“You’re not hearing police cars racing down the street,” she said. “There are no cops at (kids’ sports) games. You’re not hoping that there is a cop at a game to make sure nothing happens.”

When the 122 Wilton Road Apartments opened, she did not get in with the first round of residents who moved in last September. When a second chance opened up, she was one of 380 who applied, said Helen McAlinden president and CEO of Homes with Hope, a nonprofit group that also helps individuals find affordable housing. Welch was chosen by lottery, McAlinden said.

Welch and her sons moved into their new place in March. She loves the brand new three-bedroom unit, with her busy life as an educator and sports mom. Her older son is on the Staples High School football team and plans to play lacrosse in the fall. Her younger son plays baseball and football.

During the school year, she was waking up each day early enough to drive across town to pick up a friend of her older son – a football teammate – and drop them off at the school. After school, the other teen’s mother would drive Welch’s son home.

Welch pays 30 percent of her salary for rent, and while that enables her to reside in Westport, she still struggles with the cost of everything else.

“I work hard,” she said. “I’m a mother of two making sure they’re provided for…. I’m counting dollar for dollar to make it by to afford to live here.”

Even if she is not among the wealthy in the town, the sacrifice it takes to live there is worth it.

“I don’t need a boat, I don’t need a fancy car, I don’t need a huge house,” she said. “I just need somewhere where my kids are safe.”

RonSheika Ruffin

RonSheika Ruffin, who moved into Hales Court through the Westport Housing Authority in August, is barely through unpacking boxes. But already the difference is big.

Ruffin and her five children had lived with a friend in Stamford for years until they were notified that a spot was available for them in Westport.

“It feels good to be able to have our own place,” said Ruffin. “And it’s safer. I have a whole lot off my shoulders now.”

Ruffin, who is admittedly shy, was not sure at first that she wanted to speak for this article. But she decided it would be worthwhile to perhaps help others.

As a single mom, life can be “pretty busy,” she said. 

She is trained as a Certified Nursing Assistant and is hopeful about seeking employment now that her family is settled. She is still looking at daycare options for her two youngest children, ages 1 and 3.

But her oldest children, who attend Staples High School, have already noticed a difference. 

“There’s a better education here,” she said. “It feels like we have some stability.”

Westport Journal’s recent coverage of affordable housing

• Affordable housing series part 1: The state of play in Westport’s affordable housing
• Officials discuss the human side of affordable housing
• P&Z asked to contemplate higher density affordable housing
• Hartford lawmakers split on housing bill, united on need for fixes

Kerri Williams

^{_{Kerri Williams is an award-winning writer and journalist. She has worked as a reporter at the Norwalk Hour, as Living editor at the Darien News-Review, and managing editor for the Norwalk Citizen-News. For Westport Journal, she is a reporter as well as a gardening columnist, writing “Cultivating with Kerri.” She recently published her first children’s book – “Mabel’s Big Move,” based on her daughter with special needs.}}

Ken Valenti

^{_{A career journalist and lifelong resident of the New York City region, Ken Valenti has enjoyed decades of reporting local, regional and national news in New York and Connecticut. Topics of special interest are development, the environment, Long Island Sound and transportation. When not reporting, he’s always on the lookout for the perfect coffee shop or used book sale.}}