Newsfeed Category: Openings

A Spectacular Opening for Lantern’s Prospero Hall

May.08.2015

Cutting the ribbon at the Lantern Group's Prospero Hall

On a stunning Spring day, May 7th, the Lantern Group cut the ribbon on beautiful new Prospero Hall residence in East Harlem, an 87-unit 6-story newly constructed affordable/supportive housing project that is now home to 54 formerly homeless special needs individuals and 32 low-income individuals from the community (with priority given to chronically homeless veterans). The residence features an outdoor garden, and preserves the adjacent community garden, The Magic Garden.

Highridge Gardens Opens in Poughkeepsie

May.08.2015

Rehabilitation Support Services' new residence in Poughkeepsie, Highridge Gardens

On April 17th,  Rehabilitation Support Services (RSS), Inc. held a ribbon-cutting in Poughkeepsie for Highridge Gardens, a 50 unit supportive housing project.  This newly constructed building represents a first: it is the first congregate supportive housing project built by RSS, a Network member with a long history of providing mental health housing and the very first OMH congregate supportive housing in the entire Capital Region, between Saratoga  and Westchester Counties.

Schenectady Celebrates the Grand Opening of 845 Commons Residence

Feb.06.2015

Cutting the ribbon at 845 Commons residence in Schenectady

The Capital Region YMCA held a grand opening of the largest single site supportive housing residence west of the Hudson January 16th: 845 Commons in Schenectady.  This impressive project provides housing for 155 formerly homeless men, with a preference for both veterans and Schenectady County natives (all current tenants are from Schenectady County) as well as 25 apartments for individuals coping with a mental illness.

CAMBA Gardens Grows on the Grounds of Kings County Hospital

Nov.26.2014

Cutting the ribbon at Camba Gardens.  Photo credit: Vanni Archives Architectural Photography

CAMBA just opened two gorgeous buildings on the grounds of the Kings County Hospital campus, called CAMBA Gardens I, at 690 and 738 Albany Avenue, on November 17th, with 209 units of affordable and supportive housing.  The second phase of the development broke ground that same day and will ultimately provide nearly 300 additional units of housing.

Providence House’s Bishop Joseph M. Sullivan Residence Opens in Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, Brooklyn

Nov.25.2014

Sister Janet Kinney cuts the ribbon at the Bishop Joseph M. Sullivan Residence.

On November 19th, Providence House and Alembic Community Development opened the Bishop Joseph M. Sullivan Residence, an $8.2 million development providing permanent service-enriched affordable housing for homeless adults and low-income community residents. Holy water from Lourdes was used to bless the residence and its environs by the Sisters of St. Joseph.

Utica Place Brightens Brooklyn

Nov.18.2014

Cutting the ribbon at Utica Place, in Crown Heights, Brooklyn.

Jericho Project is proud to announce the opening of beautiful new Utica Place affordable housing development for low income families and U.S. veterans.  The development includes two buildings: a spacious 12-story affordable rental building with a roof garden and a four-story commercial building that has community space, a church, and a daycare center.

Franklin Avenue Residence Ribbon Cutting

Nov.06.2014

President and CEO of Lower Eastside Service Center Valerie C. Walters cuts the ribbon.

Lower Eastside Service Center (LESC) recently celebrated the opening of Franklin Avenue Residence, a beautiful new supportive housing residence in the Morrisania neighborhood in the Bronx, with 71 units of permanent housing for formerly homeless individuals as well as 27 studio apartments for low-income individuals from the community.

Speakers at the ribbon cutting ceremony included LESC’s President & CEO Valerie C. Walters, as well as Darryl C. Towns, Commissioner and CEO of NYS Homes and Community Renewal (HCR) and Vicki Been, Commissioner of the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD).

Commissioner Been, the Network’s 2014 Government Partner of the Year, said “the de Blasio Administration’s Housing New York plan made a commitment to assist homeless individuals and families by providing opportunities for permanent housing. I would like to thank the Lower Eastside Service Center for doing so much to provide a much needed life-line for individuals seeking permanent housing solutions.”

ACMH Hosts Ribbon Cuttings for TWO New NYC Residences

Oct.08.2014

ACMH hosts ribbon cuttings at East 144 Street Residence in the South Bronx (left) and at Markus Gardens in Jamaica, Queens (photo credits courtesy of ACMH).

ACMH opened TWO supportive housing residences in September: the East 144th Street Residence in the South Bronx and Markus Gardens in Jamaica, Queens. The residences are part of NY/NY III and provide housing to a mix of individuals struggling with homelessness and behavioral health challenges and very low-income people from the neighborhood. And both offer housing options to young adults coming from institutional settings. Both openings also put tenants front and center quite literally. At both ceremonies it was tenants who stole the show at the podium and who held the classic giant scissors.  

First came the South Bronx opening, September 12th -- some fifty well-wishers and partners gathered on a gloriously sunny afternoon to celebrate the completion of a new residence that will provide 42 apartments for adults and young adults with special needs and 18 apartments for individuals and families from the community (at 30-40% of AMI).

ACMH CEO and master of ceremonies Dan Johansson gave effusive praise to the teams who played a part – the team of housing staff at OMH; the team of housing specialists at Homes and Community Renewal; the teams at Bank of America, at the Bronx Borough President’s office, at Harden Van Arnam Architects and at Mega Contracting. Also celebrated were partners Richman Housing and Deutsche Bank. The Network too got a mention (thank you, Dan).

Liberty Village Opens in Amityville, New York

Oct.06.2014

Senator Charles E. Schumer and partners gather to cut the ribbon at Liberty Village, a supportive
housing residence for veterans and their families. Photo courtesy of Concern for Independent Living.

The fight to end veteran homelessness got a big boost on September 29th with the opening of Liberty Village, in Amityville, NY, a new 60-unit supportive housing residence for veterans and their families from Concern for Independent Living. Headlining the event was long-time project champion Senator Charles E. Schumer, having presided over the project’s groundbreaking in October 2012.

"This is great news for Long Island veterans, who willingly risked life and limb for our country," said Senator Schumer. “We overcame many obstacles to get here, but now 60 vets and their families will thankfully be provided with a comfortable place to live. I'm thankful to Concern for Independent Living for seeing this project to fruition."

MC’ing the event was Concern Executive Director and Network Board member Ralph Fasano who pointed out that Liberty Village is the first project of its kind and required “unprecedented collaboration among Federal, state and local leaders.”

That collaboration was obvious from the speakers list. Darryl Towns spoke on behalf of NYS Homes and Community Renewal, in addition to representatives from the NYS Office of Mental Health, the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, the County of Suffolk, the Town of Babylon, the Federal Home Loan Bank, Local Initiative Support Corporation and the Veteran’s Administration Medical Center.

Nat Conigiliaro, a veteran of the Korean War, said “I feel like it was made for me…I want to dig a hole and put all my animosity, my homelessness, my scars, and bury it…This place is like paradise, it’s home.”

“Anyone with a home has neighbors,” commented Sgt. Angel Romero.  “Here, at Liberty Village, I’m with my brothers and sisters.”

Youth Supportive Housing Residence Opens in Manhattan

Jun.18.2014

The fight to end homelessness in New York got a boost yesterday with the grand opening of a new supportive housing residence in lower Manhattan.

A gut-renovated, five-story residence developed by Phipps Houses, this building provides housing and support services to 44 very needy households. Once rent-up is complete, the residence will house formerly homeless young adults, formerly homeless young families and low-income members of the community.

Tenants  have access to an array of on-site services provided by Network member The Door. Services will include job training, High School Equivalency (formerly “GED”) classes, health care, counseling, legal support and childcare support. The building will also include a 10,000 square-foot community center operated by Loisaida, Inc.

Yesterday’s opening included brief remarks from NYC Council Member Rosie Mendez and NYC Department of Housing Preservation Development (HPD) Commissioner Vicki Been as well as Michael Zisser, CEO of project partner University Settlement, and Raul Russi, CEO of Acacia Network, Loisaida's parent company.