To the Editor:
I attended the Mattapoisett Town Meeting as I have done for 32 years. I was particularly interested in the discussion regarding the purchase of the Holy Ghost land on Park Street. I asked if this land would be for recreation and open space only or could the town consider building more housing for the elderly. A selectman answered there will be no elderly housing on this land. He did not acknowledge that there was a need for more affordable housing for the elderly.
This past summer, I was confronted with the lack of affordable housing in Mattapoisett. I had to find an apartment in three months, and I wanted to remain in Mattapoisett where I had lived with my family for 32 years. Though I am an elder, I was not ready to live in elderly housing. I was unable to find an apartment that I could afford in town and I resigned myself to looking elsewhere. Two days prior to signing a lease in Dartmouth, I received a call from a Mattapoisett landlord that an affordable, beautiful apartment had become available. I know how fortunate I am to still be living in Mattapoisett where my son and his family live.
Those of us who have lived in Mattapoisett for years and contributed to the life of this community should be able to continue to live here in our later years. It is in our interest to make the community at large and the selectman aware of the need for more affordable housing in Mattapoisett.
Cecile L. Sanders, Mattapoisett
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