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Read the press release here.

$573-a-Month Apartments Coming to Bed-Stuy This Summer

 A new affordable housing complex on Herkimer Street is offering 20 two-bedroom rentals starting at $573. The rest of the units will be reserved for individuals with mental health issues through supportive housing group, The Bridge.
A new affordable housing complex on Herkimer Street is offering 20 two-bedroom rentals starting at $573. The rest of the units will be reserved for individuals with mental health issues through supportive housing group, The Bridge.
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DNAinfo/Camille Bautista

BEDFORD-STUYVESANT — A new affordable housing complex with two-bedroom rentals starting at $573-a-month — as well as units for individuals with mental health issues — is set to open in Bedford-Stuyvesant this summer.

Supportive housing group The Bridge will operate the 53-unit building at 437 Herkimer St. and recently opened a public lottery for 20 two-bedroom apartments.

The remaining units, which include more two-bedrooms and studios, will be reserved for clients referred by the organization.

The Bridge provides services including mental health and substance abuse treatment, housing and job placement. The Herkimer Street Residence will be the group's first "integrated" housing complex, meaning it will provide apartments for both low-income residents and those with mental illness.

“This will be our first mix-use building that incorporates area families,” said Carole Gordon, senior vice president for housing development at The Bridge. “For the rest of our tenants, it will serve as permanent supportive housing.

“We will be very selective to who we want to move into the building in terms of our referrals — those we think will come with the skills needed to live somewhere.”

Eligible lottery applicants must have a household income ranging from $21,086 to $51,780, depending on the number of individuals living in the apartment.

Amenities at the six-story building include 24/7 front-desk assistance, solar roof panels, a community room and an office suite with social services available to all tenants.

The project initially received pushback from residents, according to Kara Holmes, member of the Her-King Alagantic Block Association.

“I know half the building is going to lottery process, but we didn’t want it because of the demographic," Holmes said of the future tenants with history of mental illness.

"We still don’t want the clientele, we have a lot of kids in this neighborhood. But it’s already a done deal."

Gordon said that any issues that arise once the building is operational will be discussed with area block associations, which The Bridge has “been working really closely with.”

The anticipated move-in date for residents would be at the end of the summer, she added.

Applications for the housing lottery must be postmarked by June 30. Those interested can download an application here.