LYNN — Washington Square Residence, formerly known as the Lynn Home for Young Women, has been providing affordable housing for single individuals in the community for more than 100 years.
Originally started to provide housing for single women under the age of 36, it has since evolved into an affordable and subsidized community for men and women. Prior to this adjustment, the residence’s Executive Director Lisa Connolly said the residence was sued a few years after it opened because they housed a woman older than 36, which was frowned upon at the time, since women had to live with their husband or parents by that age.
The residence was renovated in 2012 to accommodate 43 rooms, including efficiency studios and furnished rooms with either private or shared bathrooms.
Despite the challenges brought on by communal living spaces at Washington Square Residence, Connolly credits stringent safety protocols for the house’s success during the pandemic; there have been zero COVID-19 cases so far and most residents have been vaccinated, as they were eligible early in the vaccination process.
Connolly said that right when the pandemic started, the residence took immediate action and started implementing safety protocols to protect the residents. Still, some of the units have become vacant throughout the pandemic because about eight people chose to leave due to wariness around shared spaces including kitchens, bathrooms and common areas.
While the common areas were closed, the recent renovations have included the addition of a fenced-in outdoor space that includes tables and chairs, a patio, a grass area, gardens and a gazebo — which Connolly said has been used almost every day since the pandemic.
“Since a lot of the residents were restricted to their rooms, it’s nice to have this outdoor space for them to go and get some fresh air, garden and relax,” Connolly said.
In addition, the residence implemented a mask rule in all public areas of the building — which is still enforced — and encouraged frequent hand washing and social distancing. Connolly said she and staff members have also spoken with residents in the halls to keep them informed about the pandemic and how they can stay safe.
Prior to COVID-19, the Washington Square Residence would host a chef every week to provide the residents with a meal in the dining room so they could socialize and interact.
While the food continued to be distributed to residents through to-go boxes during the pandemic, the socialization aspect was put on hold in an effort to keep everybody safe.
The residence offers lodgers a few choices of rooms: There is an unfurnished studio room with a full kitchen that includes a stove, microwave, refrigerator, granite countertops and a full bath; there is also a furnished room that includes a twin bed, nightstand, five-drawer bureau, desk and chair, small refrigerator and microwave unit. This room option can come with a private bathroom or shared bathroom.
To accommodate the rooms that aren’t studios, there are kitchens located on each of the four floors, as well as a larger kitchen next to the community space on the main floor.
Connolly credited the ability to renovate and maintain the residence to grants and funding that were left by the some 270 founders of the Lynn Home for Young Women, most of whom were members of the former Unitarian Church in Lynn.
Connolly said she manages these funds wisely, and continues to apply for grants and support from the state and federal government.
As an independently-owned and self-managed operation, the Board of Directors and staff at the residence can continue to serve anybody in the community whose income does not exceed $70,000.
“The goal is, of course, for people not to be homeless,” Connolly said. “For people to be in stable housing so they can then progress to hopefully buying their own home, or at least a better situation than it might be like if they were somewhere else.”
Connolly reflected on a former resident who lived in the home when she turned 18 and utilized the Washington Square Residence scholarship to assist her through nursing school while she worked to pay for school and her affordable housing unit at Washington Square Residence.
This individual, Connolly said, was able to graduate nursing school and eventually obtain her own apartment.
“We are not a shelter,” explains Connolly. “Everyone pays something.”
Most residents are required to pay 30 to 40 percent of their income, a number that is determined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) guidelines, which the residence has to follow.
“We are not specific to serving only people who have suffered domestic violence or are trying to become sober,” Connolly said. “We have people who are working in banking careers, security careers and different kinds of jobs.”
Connolly said she is happy to see the success of the residence as it continues to provide affordable housing to those in need.