Monroe County Legislator Rachel Barnhart is raising serious concerns after reviewing the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding application for The Northfield, a senior housing facility in Fairport where residents were recently evicted.
“The application explicitly states that this would be an ‘occupied rehabilitation,’ meaning tenants were supposed to remain in place during the renovation,” Barnhart said. “Instead, they were forced out—and no one told them what was coming.”
On June 10, the Monroe County Legislature approved $600,000 in ARPA funds for CDS Monarch to acquire and renovate The Northfield, a 69-unit facility currently owned by Family Services of Rochester (FSR). Barnhart, who voted for the package, says it’s now clear that legislators were not given adequate information at the time of the vote—including details about the change in the care model or the fate of existing residents.
After residents were evicted days later, Barnhart reviewed CDS Monarch’s original funding request, which outlines a plan to convert The Northfield from a Level 3 “enriched housing” facility to a Level 1 model with fewer services. The application also reveals plans to connect 60 residents to Project-Based Section 8 Vouchers..
“Everyone involved—CDS, FSR, the Fairport Housing Authority, Monroe County, and the State of New York—knew about the sale and the change in services months in advance,” said Barnhart. “The only people left in the dark were the residents and their families. That is unacceptable.”
Barnhart noted that while the renovation plan may ultimately result in more sustainable affordable housing, the process has been deeply flawed.
“This was a total failure of compassion and decency,” she said. “We cannot call it ‘supportive housing’ if we are not transparent to those we are supposed to be supporting.”
Barnhart is calling for the County Legislature to revisit its oversight process for ARPA allocations and for the administration to provide full documentation to legislators about projects before votes are taken.