April 27, 2015 -
Green Buildings
The NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) joined Services for the UnderServed (SUS), Enterprise Community Partners, Inc., Bank of America and other project partners to celebrate the housewarming of The Truxton Residence, a 48-unit supportive and affordable housing development in the Ocean Hill neighborhood. Residents of this development have on-site access to critical supportive services through SUS. To mark the building's opening, officials planted a blueberry bush in the building's landscaped backyard for the enjoyment of all residents.
"SUS is pleased to celebrate the opening of our Truxton Residence, and proud of the contribution we are making in providing a home to 48 New Yorkers," said SUS CEO Donna Colonna. "This residence is dedicated to the thousands of New Yorkers who find themselves homeless each year, in the hope that they too will find a safe, affordable place to call home."
"Home is the foundation of opportunity and a fair shot at success. Today, we celebrate not only a new home for 48 residents, but also the opportunities that are before them now that they have a stable, healthy, and affordable place to live," said Judi Kende, VP and New York market leader, Enterprise. "Too many low-income New Yorkers are housing insecure - homeless or paying more than half of their income on rent - and unable to realize these opportunities. Developments like Truxton Residence and incredible partners like SUS, HPD, and Bank of America show that we can and we will end housing insecurity."
The Truxton Residence was constructed on formerly city-owned land. The new five-story building includes 48 studio units for residents. The building also features 5,000 s/f of community space and a landscaped outdoor recreation space with seating and tables. The development was designed to meet Enterprise Green Communities criteria, the national standard for green building in affordable housing.
All of the apartments in The Truxton Residence serve low-income individuals with 80% of the units reserved for formerly homeless individuals with mental health challenges. The development is affordable to households earning at or below 60 percent of the Area Median Income, or an annual income of no more than $34,860 for an individual. Rents for units for the formerly homeless are subsidized with Project-based Section 8 vouchers. Residents will be expected to contribute 30 percent of their monthly income toward rent payments. The income levels for this development were set according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)'s 2012 calculations.
On-site supportive services available to residents of The Truxton Residence are funded by DHS and DOHMH and provided by SUS. These supportive services include individualized case management and personalized recovery programs based on identified needs. Daily life skills training, employment training and job placement services, and structured social and recreation activities will also be offered to the building's residents.
The total development cost of The Truxton Residence is approximately $12.2 million. HPD awarded over $6 million in Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, which Enterprise syndicated and for which Bank of America served as the investor. HPD also provided $4 million in HOME Funds towards permanent financing, $125,000 in City Capital and $1.5 million in NSP2 Funds. The project also received $137,179 in NYSERDA Multi-Family Performance Benefits.
The building is currently fully leased, with all units occupied. Marketing of the apartments and the application process for the lottery typically begins when construction is approximately 70 percent complete. For more information regarding the affordable housing lottery process or if you would like to receive an e-mail when HPD updates its available apartment and home website listings for City-subsidized housing in the five boroughs, please visit the Find Housing page at www.nyc.gov/hpd. Current housing lotteries are also available at www.nyc.gov/housingconnect. Applicants may submit either a paper application or an electronic application. Duplicate applications will be disqualified.