Categories: New York State, Openings
06.05.2024
On May 30th, Housing Visions and Catholic Charities of Onondaga County joined project partners to celebrate the opening of Moyer Carriage Lofts. This new affordable and supportive housing residence is creating 128 new affordable apartments, including 50 supportive, in Syracuse. On-site social services will be provided by Catholic Charities of Onondaga County funded by the Empire State Supportive Housing Initiative (ESSHI) administered by New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH).
Ben Lockwood, CEO of Housing Visions said, “I know our residents now have safe, decent affordable housing. A place they can put their head down at night. This is a joyous day, a day of celebration. This is good for not only us, but for the State and community. Our sincerest hope is that this is a jumping off point for the neighborhood that you should invest in the neighborhood and Syracuse. The community all needs to make sure that the next development is supported in the same manner.”
Gregory Richmond, Program Specialist at OMH, said, “Congrats on this much needed project. As we all know, housing is healthcare: it is a vital social determinate of health. Safe affordable housing is the platform on which recovery is built. Through the development of these permanent supportive homes, Catholic Charities of Ongaonga and Housing Visions are playing a vital role in addressing homelessness in our communities.”
Commissioner RuthAnne Visnauskas, New York State Homes and Community Renewal (HCR), said, “This project creates 128 affordable housing units, fifty of which are designated for supportive housing. Residents in supportive housing will have just that. Support. Support to access the services need to stay housed and healthy. When we raise up our vulnerable citizens, the entire community benefits.”
Emily Chen, Managing Director, National Equity Fund and Network Board Member, said, “We see a lot of projects come to the finish line and they are all amazing in their own way, but this is very special. It took a community to transform this into the supportive environment it is for the families and people who will go on and thrive in this environment.”
Mayor Ben Walsh, City of Syracuse; Hon. Ryan McMahon, Onondaga County Executive; Randy Simons, NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation; and Jane Silverman, Chase Bank, also spoke.
Moyer Carriage Lofts was redeveloped from the historical Moyer Carriage Factory and features on-site laundry, a community room, private courtyard, 24/7 on call maintenance, and after hours staffing. It was also designed to meet the criteria for Enterprise Green Communities certification with environmentally sustainable features such as low-flow fixtures, all LED lighting, and Energy Star appliances.
Funding for the project came from New York State Housing Finance Agency (HFA) Low-Income Housing 4% Tax Credits and First Mortgage; HCR New Construction Program (NCP) and HOME program; and New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Historic Tax Credits, and City of Syracuse funds.
The general contractor was Hueber-Breuer Construction Co., Inc. and the architect was Carmina Woods Design.