Categories: New York City, Member News, Openings
12.15.2025
On Friday, December 12th Services for the UnderServed (S:US) and RiseBoro Community Partnership joined project partners and elected officials gathered to celebrate the opening of Alafia Phase 1. Phase 1 includes two projects: Phase 1A and Phase 1B. Phase 1A creates 452 affordable apartments including 136 supportive for individuals with mental illness or developmental disabilities, in East New York, Brooklyn and Phase 1B creates 124 affordable apartments. On-site services are provided by S:US funded by the Empire State Supportive Housing Initiative (ESSHI), administered by the Office of Mental Health (OMH) and the New York State Office for People With Developmental Disabilities (NYS OPWDD).
Phase 1 is part of a six-phase plan to redevelop the former Brooklyn Developmental Center campus, part of the State’s Vital Brooklyn Initiative -- a comprehensive community development program designed to address social, economic, and health disparities in Central Brooklyn.
CEO of APEX Building Group, Lee Brathwaite opened the program and remarked, “It’s hard to believe that three years ago in December 2022 we did a ground blessing and here it is three years to the date that we are celebrating and doing a ribbon cutting.”
S:US President & CEO, Perry Perlmutter, remarked, “Alafia represents a promise kept to provide New Yorkers not just with housing, but with opportunity, dignity, and a foundation for healthier lives. With the opening of Phase I, hundreds of individuals and families will have a safe, stable home built to the highest sustainability standards, and access to on-site healthcare and community amenities. This is what it means to build for the future.”
RiseBoro Community Partnership CEO Kieran Harrington remarked, “At RiseBoro, we believe that a home is more than four walls — it is access to care, opportunity and community. Alafia embodies that vision. By integrating supportive services, health care, green space and sustainable design, this project offers residents the stability they deserve and creates the conditions for a thriving community. We’re proud to join our partners in bringing this transformative model to uplift East New York’s families today and for generations to come.”
New York State Senator Roxanne Persaud said, “East New York is not the forgotten area —East New York is on the rise. We understand that for many years there was no housing and little hope. Along came these projects that gave people hope. Whatever is coming into East New York must benefit those people who stayed.”
Assemblywoman Nikki Lucas said, “We are not just cutting a ribbon, we are opening the door for a brighter healthier future for East New York. This is what it looks like when we build with compassion and intention. It is a statement to fighting inequity.”
Councilmember for the 42nd District, Chris Banks remarked, “For decades this site was ground zero for mis-opportunities. This project now represents hope, health and stability. This moment is about community, about making our community bigger, brighter and doing it together.”
NYS OPWDD Commissioner Willow Baer remarked, “The transformation we have been able to achieve at the former Brooklyn Developmental Center moves New York from a time of institutionalization to the freedoms of independent living that Alafia will provide. This is a hallmark of the progress made over the last fifty years to include New Yorkers with developmental disabilities as respected and valuable members of our communities.”
NYS OMH Commissioner Dr. Ann Marie T. Sullivan said, “A number of months ago I was at another opening and a resident came up to me and showed me their key. That key is going to mean so much to the individuals who will live in this building.”
NYS Homes and Community Renewal (HCR) Commissioner RuthAnne Visnauskas said, “The first phase of Alafia delivers on the promise of the Vital Brooklyn Initiative by bringing together affordable housing, supportive services, health care, and sustainability in one thoughtfully planned community. This development reflects years of engagement with local residents and a shared vision for a healthier, more equitable East New York.”
Former Councilmember and Assemblymember Charles Barron and wife Inez remarked, “We really want to thank this community for their love and support. We’re building community, not just housing. Developments like this bring us forward to be a self-determining community. This project leads us to getting rid of poverty.”
Remarks were also given by Max Joel, NYSERDA (NYS Energy Research and Development Authority) Director of NY-Sun Initiative.
Building amenities include indoor and outdoor amenity spaces, a social services suite, a health clinic, and ground-floor retail spaces. The shared courtyard between the first two buildings include an urban farm, ping pong tables, outdoor dining, a play area, communal lawn, lounge seating, and a green roof.
Funding for this project comes from New York State Housing Finance Agency permanent tax-exempt bonds, Federal Low-Income Tax Credits, subsidy from NYS HCR’s New Construction Program and Community Investment Fund, HCR and New York State Energy Research and Development Authority’s (NYSERDA) Clean Energy Initiative, NYSERDA NY-Sun Initiative, federal Solar and Geothermal Tax Credits, and a Program Development Grant from the NYS OMH.
The general contractor is L&M Development Partners and the architect is Dattner Architects.