After years of neglect, Agawam Village and Redwood Park are finally getting a facelift.

Through the work of numerous people, including Wareham Housing Authority Board Chair Bob Powilatis and Executive Director Jacqueline Hickey, approximately $1.6 million has been procured to fix up the properties at each facility, which provide housing to disabled and elderly adults.

“Together, all of you have helped turn this place around,” said Powilatis Monday morning in front of a group who gathered at Agawam Village to celebrate the start of the work at the two sites.

“Your work in advocating for the Housing Authority is exemplary,” said Gifford of Powilatis and Hickey, both of whom stepped into their positions last year amid controversy surrounding the past regime at the housing Housing Authority. “You’ve been absolutely instrumental.”

In September of 2013, the state Department of Housing and Community Development released a report detailing financial mismanagement of the Wareham Housing Authority.

After some time spent working to get the Housing Authority back to financial stability, they were able secure funding for the renovations, and work started this summer to update the siding and roofs of several buildings, as well as to update the stoops in front of housing units and make a number of units compliant to the Americans with Disabilities Act. Work will also be done to update the plumbing at the two locations, as well as to remove asbestos from the structures, most of which Powilatis said were over 50 years old.

“We are continuing to move forward,” said Hickey.

Powilatis commended the work of several people, including Hickey, Selectman Alan Slavin, Community Preservation Committee Chair Angela Dunham, CEDA Board Chair Jean Connaughton, Senator Marc Pacheco, State Representative Susan Gifford, and others for their work in the effort to help revitalize the state of public housing in Wareham.

“We’ve moved forward,” said Pacheco, who said the current group at the Housing Authority had helped to open up the channels of communication regarding the need for funds to update the two facilities. “(Working together) we’ve improved the housing quality in the town of Wareham.”

Powilatis said the Housing Authority was also able to obtain two generators for the two facilities. In the past during power outages, residents were literally left in the cold with no heat in their housing units. Now, the two community buildings at each location will have heat and electricity in case of a power outage, and residents can go to those buildings in the case of an emergency.

On Monday night, another $70,000 was obtained at Town Meeting through Dunham and the Community Preservation Committee to create another housing unit at Agawam Village, bringing the total number there up to 40 units. There are currently 64 housing units at Redwood Park.

“Nothing was ever done here,” said Slavin regarding updating the facilities. “It was a matter of reaching out. We got someone in here who’s able to do it. We’re fortunate.”

Powilatis echoed Slavin’s comments, saying that the work to gather funds was as simple as picking up the phone and making some calls.

“We just reached out,” he said. “They never applied for it before. You’ve got to break the ice.”