Categories: New York City, Member News, Openings
10.30.2024
On October 29th, friends, staff and partners gathered to celebrate the opening of Concern Housing’s St. James Terrace a supportive/affordable building adjacent to the historic St. James Church in Fordham district of the Bronx. The new residence provides 102 affordable apartments, 51 of which are supportive. Onsite services are provided by Concern Housing and funded by the Office of Mental Health through the state’s Empire State Supportive Housing Initiative.
Executive Director Ralph Fasano acted as emcee of the event which since it was held at the same time as a world series Yankees game was rife with sports metaphors as he congratulated the many organizations who made this day possible: “When you bring together a great team, great things happen (unless you’re the NY Jets).”
RuthAnne Visnauskas, Commissioner of New York State’s Homes and Commiunity Renewal (HCR) happily embraced Ralph’s introduction of her as ‘both a fan and an owner’ of St. James Terrace, saying Concern’s many many residences “keep getting better and better” and echoing Ralph’s words about the power of partnership.
Assembly member Yudelka Tapia spoke next, saying “when RuthAnne comes to the Bronx it means something good is coming to my community”. She noted that the building’s 50/50 split between supportive and low-income tenants “perfectly reflects my district, one of the poorest in the city”. She added “let’s work together to create more of these projects because when we fight together, we always win.”
Dana Greenberg, Director of New York State’s Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance’s (OTDA’s) Bureau of Housing and Support Services spoke next. Dana noted that St. James Terrace was the agency’s 13th project with Concern using the agency’s Homeless Housing Assistance Program funding. She further noted that Concern’s first project with OTDA was in 1984, one year after HHAP was created!
The Office of Mental Health’s (OMH’s) NYC Field Office Director Najwa Awad announced she was a Bronx native and applauded the new building saying, “When we raise up our vulnerable neighbors we improve our entire community.”
The hands down star of the event was tenant Ramon Sanchez, who had generously opened up his beautifully decorated apartment for tours. “Thank you for caring about people like myself who never felt cared about…it means everything.” He also noted “if you don’t succeed with Concern behind you, you don’t want to succeed.”
The nine-story building includes a new, ground-floor community facility that will provide a range of services and programs benefiting residents and the community at large, including a weekly food pantry and hot meal service, financial and wellness seminars and an after-school program that will provide tutoring and snacks to school-aged children in the neighborhood.
A landscaped courtyard connects the church and the residential building, and residents will have access to a rooftop terrace, lounges, multi-purpose rooms, a laundry room, bicycle storage, fitness room and office and social service space for use by Concern staff.
Funding for St. James Terrace was provided by HCR, OTDA and OMH in addition to Low Income Housing Tax Credits.
The building was designed by Dattner Architects and the contractor was Mega Contracting Group.