Quantcast

The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
Read the press release here.

Affordable Apartments for Formerly Homeless Debut on Herkimer Street

By Camille Bautista | February 12, 2016 3:54pm | Updated on February 15, 2016 8:30am
 Officials cut the ribbon on a new supportive housing building at Herkimer Street near Interfaith Medical Center on Thursday.
Officials cut the ribbon on a new supportive housing building at Herkimer Street near Interfaith Medical Center on Thursday.
View Full Caption
Elena Olivo

BEDFORD-STUYVESANT — Formerly homeless individuals with histories of mental illness, young adults aging out of foster care and low-income families will have a space to call home with the opening of a new supportive housing building on Herkimer Street.

Elected officials, community partners and mental health and housing group The Bridge held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday for the Herkimer Street Residence, a 53-unit project with $573-a-month rentals.

Out of the apartments — which have already been rented out — 33 studios and two-bedroom units are reserved for those with mental health issues and individuals coming out of youth treatment programs or foster care.

The remaining 20 are open to low-income families selected through a public lottery last summer.

The residence at 437 Herkimer St. gives access to supportive services including on-site case management and peer counseling, and is located a block away from Interfaith Medical Center on Atlantic Avenue. The hospital also has a partnership with the Bridge, officials said.

Through the state’s Office of Mental Health, young adults will receive funding to continue schooling or obtain vocational training, according to officials.

Residents have access to a computer lab, laundry, around-the-clock front desk coverage, a community room with a kitchen, on-site parking and a backyard area that is slated to have a small playground for kids in the building.

The $20.1 million project received funding from multiple partners and organizations, including the state’s Homes and Community Renewal, officials said.

“Safe and stable housing provides the backbone of recovery that homeless individuals with mental illness need to succeed both personally and professionally,” NYS Office of Mental Health Commissioner Dr. Ann Marie Sullivan said in a statement.

“The Herkimer Street Residence will provide the stability these individuals need to find their footing and thrive.”

The apartment building is the latest supportive housing project to be constructed in Bed-Stuy, an area where some residents feel there are already too many programs for those with a history of mental illness.

An 89-unit building from Comunilife, in partnership with Woodhull Medical Center, is planned at the corner of Throop and Park avenues.

Most recently, a proposed 68-apartment residence at Gates Avenue near Tompkins Avenue drew criticism from community members who worried about safety and an “overflow” of supportive housing units in the neighborhood.

Supporters of both plans say it provides much needed, below-market-rate apartments for residents, along with resources to help individuals with mental illness transition back into the community.  

Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a new task force in January to help implement the city’s plan to build 15,000 units of supportive housing for homeless New Yorkers over the next 15 years.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo also proposed two plans to create and preserve 100,000 affordable housing units and the creation of 6,000 new supportive housing apartments over the next five years through the state, along with a total of 20,000 in 15 years.