Categories: New York City, Openings
07.16.2024
Supporters, partners and staff gathered on July 15th to celebrate the opening of Betances Family Apartments, a new affordable/supportive apartment building at the site of NYCHA’s Betances VI campus in the Bronx. The new residence provides 101 units of deeply affordable housing, including 70 homes for extremely low, low, and moderate-income New Yorkers, including 18 units reserved for NYCHA residents, and 30 supportive apartments. Onsite services are provided by The Bridge, funded by New York City’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) under the NY/NY III Agreement.
Alembic Community Development Director Mike McCarthy kicked off the program thanking partners Lemle & Wolff and The Bridge: “Through dedication and team work we achieved our goal of creating 100 much needed new homes for Bronxites and other New Yorkers. We are thankful to our government partners, HPD and NYCHA and the rest of the lenders and investors as well, without whom none of this would have been possible.”
The Bridge’s CEO Susan Wiviott spoke next, “We applaud the city and state's commitment to creating more affordable housing for vulnerable New Yorkers. We also recognize the tremendous efforts of our staff, who work tirelessly to provide on-site supportive services for 30 formerly homeless residents who have left the shelter system to begin a new life in a beautiful building in the Bronx.”
Next came tenant Joseph George who spoke movingly about how grateful he was to be living at Betances. Since moving in he has reconnected with his two daughters and his mother, neither of whom he has been in touch with for fifteen years. He also told the crowd that he was working part-time for NYCHA and looking to start school to become a medical assistant in September. “This would not have been possible without the assistance of my case managers Ms. Green and Mr. Bennet…I hope what you all are doing will change others’ lives as well.”
Also speaking were HPD’s Assistant Commissioner of New Construction Finance Dan Moran, NYCHA Real Estate Executive Vice-President Joseph Gouveia, Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson, City Council Deputy Speaker Diana Ayala, NEF Managing Director Emily Chen, Bank of New York Director Clarence Burleigh and Lemle & Wolff Principal Anivelca Cordova.
Amenities at Betances Family Apartments feature a children's playroom, bike storage, an outdoor green roof terrace, and 24/7 building security. The ground floor offers approximately 10,000 square feet of commercial space
Capital financing came from Low Income Housing Tax Credits and Brownfield Tax Credits syndicated by NEF, HPD’s ELLA program, Reso A funding from former Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. and Councilmember Ayala, and Federal Home Loan Bank of New York.
Lemle & Wolff was the general contractor and Think! Architects designed the building.