Network Newsfeed

Webster Residence Brings More Supportive Housing to the Bronx

Jun.01.2018

State and city officials, partners and friends gathered on May 11 to celebrate the opening of Webster Residence, an eight story supportive housing building in the Bronx. The Webster Residence features 170 studio apartments, which will be home to low-income and formerly homeless disabled individuals.

Brenda Rosen, President and CEO of Breaking Ground, kicked off the ceremony thanking the project’s partners and remarking that she is delighted to be opening the organization’s fourth supportive/affordable development in the Bronx noting, “Bronx holds a special place in my heart as this is where I spent my early years. I’m thrilled to be part of its revitalization,” Brenda added.

Brenda was joined by RuthAnne Visnauskas, Commissioner/CEO, NYS Homes and Community Renewal; Samuel Roberts, Commissioner NYS Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA); Caren Abate, Housing Director at NYS Office of Mental Health (OMH); Emily Lehman, Assistant Commissioner at NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), alongside Fabian Ramirez from Capital One, Sam Ganeshan from Hudson Housing Capital and Tony Hannigan, CEO of CUCS.

RuthAnne Visnauskas spoke about the transformative impact of housing on the lives of the tenants. She also emphasized the importance of government partnerships and the role of elected officials in making projects like the Webster Residence possible.

“It is a good day when Commissioner Roberts and I are together, it means that more supportive housing is being built across the state. I also want to thank our elected officials. It is extremely valuable for us to have their support on affordable and support projects like this one,” she remarked.

Caren Abate from NYS OMH congratulated Breaking Ground on the opening and spoke about the importance of quality housing for those suffering from mental illnesses. 

“Safe and stable housing gives individuals who are recovering from mental illness a safety net. It offers them the opportunity to focus on their health and future goals without having to worry about where they are going to put their head at night,” she said.  

Funding for this project was provided by NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), NYS Homes and Community Renewal (HCR), NYS Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA), Hudson Housing Capital and Capital One Bank. Breaking Ground acquired the site in 2014 with a bridge loan from the New York City Acquisition Fund and the Low-Income Investment Fund.

The building features a multipurpose room for tenant and community events, a computer lab, fitness room, bike storage, and a beautifully landscaped courtyard that connects Webster to its companion building, the 248 unit Park House. Comprehensive social services will be funded by the NYS Office of Mental Health (OMH). The building was designed by COOKFOX Architect and Mega Contracting Group was the contractor for the project.

Unique People Services Cuts Ribbon on its First Supportive Housing Development

May.18.2018

Friends, champions and elected officials gathered on Friday May 11 to celebrate the opening of Lynn’s Place, the first supportive and affordable housing building developed by Unique People Services (UPS) in the south Bronx. Named after UPS’ founder Lynn Wonsang, the six-story complex consists of 69 units, 42 of which are supportive housing.

"Looking in front of me, I see the fruit of nearly three decades of dreaming. Dreaming that grew into a clear vision with amazing champions---- and we’d like to say thank you for your passion for our vision in making Lynn’s Place a reality," remarked Yvette B. Andre, the Executive Director of UPS at the opening ceremony.

Yvette B. Andre was joined by Ann Sullivan, Commissioner of NYS Office of Mental Health (OMH); Melissa Mark-Viverito, former NYC City Council Speaker; Assembly Member Michael Blake, NYC HPD Assistant Commissioner Emily Lehman, Hudson Housing Capital’s Sam Ganeshan; Corporation for Supportive Housing’s Kristin Miller, as well as representatives from State Senator Gustavo Rivera and City Council Members Diana Ayala and Rafael Salamanca Jr.

“Over 50% of units are dedicated to people with serious mental illnesses. This opens up their dreams,” said Commissioner Sullivan.

Melissa Mark-Viverto, who represented the neighborhood when the project broke ground, congratulated all the partners and spoke about the importance of investing tax dollars in housing for those in need.

“It is projects like this that give you faith that government is here to serve the most vulnerable. Proud that as speaker of the City Council we invested in such a worthy project,” she said.

Two of Lynn’s Place residents, Ms. Ivory and Mr. Digilio also spoke at the ceremony, expressing their gratitude for having Lynn’s Place as their new home.

“It is really hard to be homeless, especially when you’re older. I’m just really grateful to be in a place where people can see me as a person - not as someone with an illness, but just as me,” shared Ms. Ivory.

The building features a community room, a large sunken courtyard for recreational use, and a beautifully landscaped rooftop. Comprehensive on-site social services are funded by NYS Office of Mental Health (OMH).

This project was funded through the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), the Community Preservation Corporation (CPC), CSH, Hudson Housing Capital, Capital One Bank, Deutsche Bank, New York City Council and NYSERDA.

The building is designed by Urban Architectural Initiatives and Procida Construction Corporation was the contractor for the project.  Robert Sanborn Development was the developer.

NYS HCR Announces 2017 Unified Funding Awards

May.17.2018

NYS Homes and Community Renewal (HCR) has announced its 2017 Unified Funding Awards. Sixteen projects include 388 units of supportive housing that have services and operating awards through the Empire State Supportive Housing Initiative. Twelve of these projects are being developed by members of the Network.

• Arbor Development will begin work on Phase II of Lamphear Court in Corning, creating 82 units of affordable housing, of which 34 units will be supportive housing serving either mental health populations or families that have experienced trauma.
• Buffalo Federation of Neighborhood Centers’ Westminster Commons will provide 84 senior housing opportunities with comprehensive medical, support and community services. Included are 26 units of supportive housing for homeless seniors.
• Concern for Independent Living in Port Jefferson, Suffolk County will build a 77 unit building with 45 supportive housing units for veterans and individuals with mental health disorders.
• DePaul’s Perry Knitting Mill Apartments in Wyoming County will convert a vacant factory into a 48 unit complex with 34 supportive housing units serving homeless adults with mental health issues and the frail elderly.
• DePaul’s DeWitt Clinton Apartments will anchor Rome’s Erie Canal waterfront development while providing 80 units of affordable housing, with half supporting mental health populations.
• Housing Visions Unlimited’s Winston-Gaskin Apartments in Syracuse will rehabilitate 66 units of housing including 20 units of family supportive housing managed by the YWCA of Syracuse.
• Hudson River Housing’s Fallkill Commons will help revitalize Main Street in Poughkeepsie with 78 units of affordable housing.  Half of the units will be supportive housing serving mental health populations.
• New Destiny in New York City will develop a Bryant Ave property in the Bronx into a 62 unit building for families and individuals, including supportive housing for 33 homeless households.
• Oswego County Opportunities will provide supportive housing to 17 homeless people in Champlain Commons, a 56 unit complex, co-developed with Rochester’s Cornerstone Group.
• Rehabilitation Support Services will develop a 20 unit infill project in Albany’s Arbor Hill. 10 of those units will be supportive, serving homeless people with serious emotional disorders.
• RUPCO’s Energy Square in Kingston will provide 7 units of housing for homeless young adults in a new, net-zero energy project.
• The YWCA of the Niagara Frontier will redevelop the North Tonawanda YWCA into a mixed use facility, including 12 supportive housing units for homeless families and a social enterprise coffee shop.

 

Congratulations to all of our members receiving funding in this round!

DePaul Celebrates Opening of Packet Boat Landing Apartments in Lockport

May.11.2018

DePaul celebrated the opening of its brand new affordable/supportive housing development, Packet Boat Landing Apartments on Thursday, May 3, 2018 in Lockport, New York.

The three-story, 21,500 square-foot apartment building is named after a type of small cargo and passenger ship called ‘packet boats’ that were used on the Erie and Barge Canals during the 18th and 19th centuries. The building offers 60 one-bedroom units, 21 of which are reserved for supportive housing tenants.

DePaul President Mark Fuller was joined by NYS Senator Robert Ortt, NYS Assembly Member Michael Norris, NYS Home and Community Renewal (HCR) Commissioner and CEO RuthAnne Visnauskas; Lockport Mayor Anne McCaffrey; as well as dignitaries representing NYS Office of Mental Health (OMH), Niagara County’s Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, and Region’s Bank. 

"Packet Boat Landing delivers the mix of affordability and supportive services that are essential in our fight against homelessness, and our ability to ensure that all New Yorkers can access the opportunity created by our growing economy. Under Governor Cuomo's leadership, we are creating and preserving integrated, safe and affordable homes in communities just like Lockport that help strengthen local economies," said New York State Homes and Community Renewal Commissioner RuthAnne Visnauskas at the opening ceremony.

DePaul President Mark Fuller thanked all the partners that helped fund and support this project, and expressed his love for the building.

"We've built about 60 different buildings and this is one of my all- time favorites," he said. 

Senator Ortt noted the importance of supportive housing for helping veterans and others coping with disabilities while Mayor McCaffrey commended DePaul for providing new low-income housing in the city.

Packet Boat Apartments features a spacious community room, lounges throughout the complex and a computer lab. It also offers exercise equipment as well as outdoor seating. Comprehensive on-site tenant support services are funded by the Office of Mental Health.

The Packet Boat Landing Apartments received funding through NYS Housing Financing Agency tax-exempt bonds. Subsidies were provided by NYS HCR in addition to Low Income Housing Tax Credits, OMH loans and grants, and a grant from New York State Energy Research and Development Agency (NYSERDA). The building was designed by SWBR Architects and Calamar was the contractor for the project.

HUD’s New Rent Increase Proposal Explained

May.03.2018

HUD Secretary Ben Carson’s legislative proposal, The Making Affordable Housing Work Act of 2018, includes a startling series of amendments aimed at significantly increasing the tenant rent burden under Section 8, Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH), public housing and other federal rental assistance programs. Here are some important pieces of this new proposal:

• It would eliminate all tenants’ ability to deduct costs like childcare and medical expenses from their gross income before calculating their rents. This is crucial. Many single parents rely on childcare deductions to allow them to work. Without medical expense deductions, many seniors and disabled people will be making excruciating choices between food, rent and health care.
• For seniors and the disabled, rents would increase from 30% of adjusted income to 30% of gross income.
• For all tenants, excluding seniors and the disabled, rents would increase from 30% of adjusted income to 35% of gross income.
• It would allow Public Housing Agencies (PHA) to enforce work requirement rules as they see fit.

Approximately 20% of supportive housing residences in New York State use Section 8 vouchers to subsidize tenants’ rent. If this proposal becomes law, it could seriously impact the tenants and providers of supportive housing. Further, increasing the 30% standard also has a disproportionate impact on high cost of living areas such as NYC. It would cause significant destabilization of families, seniors and the disabled, pushing them deeper into poverty and increasing homelessness.

It is also important to note that there is no evidence that raising rent has any effect on helping low income people get jobs or otherwise become more independent.

Therefore, we strongly object to this proposed bill, and ask you to join us in the following actions:

• We ask that your agency sign on to the National Low Income Housing Coalition’s letter to House and Senate leadership.  The Network and over 700 groups have already joined so far.
• Join us on Friday, May 4th, at noon, on the steps of City Hall in Manhattan, where Rep. Nydia Velázquez will host a press event to oppose these callous rent increases. This event dovetails with this week’s National Housing Week of Action, in which your organization may already be involved. 

If you would like to learn more about this proposed legislation, here are a few good articles.

Center on Budget and Policy Priorities: Trump Plan Would Raise Rents on Working Families, Elderly, People With Disabilities

Washington Post: HUD Secretary Ben Carson to propose raising rent for low-income Americans receiving federal housing subsidies

You could also join a webinar organized by the National Low Income Housing Coalition on May 10, at 1:00pm. Here is the link to register.