Categories: New York City, Groundbreakings
04.28.2023
On April 27th, Comunilife joined Health and Hospitals (NYC H+H) and other project partners to celebrate the groundbreaking of new affordable and supportive housing residence, The Comunilife Throop Residence. Located in Brooklyn, the Residence will create 93 affordable apartments, including 56 supportive for NYC Health + Hospitals patients, and 21 units for very low-income seniors. On-site service are provided by Comunilife funded through NYC 15/15 administered by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYC DOHMH).
Building amenities will include a multi-purpose community room, a community kitchen, on-site laundry room, bike storage, computer room, passive and active outdoor space and 24-hour security.
Greg Calliste, Executive Director, NYC H+H/Woodhull, kicked off the program stating, “The best cure to homelessness is to provide a home. This new residence is the best thing we can do for our community and patients.”
Dr. Rosa Gil, Comunilife's President and CEO, who emceed the program, then spoke, “We know supportive housing works and works very effectively. Since we opened Woodhull residence with NYC H+H in 2018, 54 supportive housing and 35 low-income residents have called that building their home and most importantly, 90% have remained stably housed.”
“This is a matter of paramount importance for our city to provide housing and services to the most vulnerable members of our community,” said Carlos Pineiro, Comunilife Board President. “We are looking forward to continuing to serve our New York City residents who have been displaced and marginalized by our society.”
“As a doctor treating patients experiencing homelessness, after I had treated them, I couldn’t do the thing that would change the arc of their life: housing,” said Dr. Mitch Katz, President and CEO, NYC H+H. “At NYC H+H, we see projects like this fitting our mission and taking care of people. People who are living in that building are our patients and part of our campus and family and we want to do more.”
“This project hits a sweet-spot. The fact that we can house someone that comes through a public hospital that does not have a home and needs a home, when we know the solution for homelessness is a home,” said Commissioner Adolfo Carrión, NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development, “Then we can create a continuum of care in their lives a to fully restore the whole person. This is exactly what we should be doing as a City and a society.”
“I don’t know what I would have done without Woodhull or Comunilife because I was out on the street,” said Mr. Ocasio, tenant of Comunilife's Woodhull Residence. “The staff have gone out of their way for me.”
Remarks were also given by Sam Ganeshen, Managing Director, Hudson Housing Capital; Karuna Mehta, Senior Community Investment Officer, CSH; and Evelyn Cruz, Community Liaison, Office of Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez.
Funding for the project comes from New York City HPD Supportive Housing Loan Program and 9% Low-Income Tax Credits (LIHTCs).
The general contractor is Lettire Construction and the Architect is Monica Lopez Architects.