Bronx, NY On December 7th, non-profit organization The Doe Fund broke ground to launch the construction of 68 units of affordable and supportive housing at 3188 Villa Ave., located in the Bedford Park/Special Grand Concourse District.
The 10-story building will include 60 studio units and eight one-bedroom apartments. 60% of the units (41 units) will be reserved for formerly homeless individuals; the remaining 40% (27 units) will be occupied by either individuals or households from the NYCHA waitlist.
The Doe Fund will provide onsite supportive services to residents, including comprehensive case management, linkages to health care, and other critical services, such as job preparedness, employment training, and drug/alcohol prevention services. Other amenities will include 24-hour professionally staffed security, energy-efficient appliances and building systems, and shared community spaces, including a bike room, community room, and a rear garden.
Construction on the building is expected to be complete by 2020. The building was designed by DeLaCour Ferrara & Church Architects, and the building contractor is Mega Contracting Group, LLC.
Chase Community Development Banking financed construction. Other project partners include NYC Housing Preservation and Development, NYC Housing Authority, the Corp. for Supportive Housing, and NYC Human Resources Administration.
Bronx Community Board 7 approved the project at its January 16, 2018 meeting.
“We are thrilled to help advance the city’s goal of ensuring all households have access to safe, quality, and affordable housing by bringing these 68 homes to the Bronx,” said George McDonald, founder & president of The Doe Fund. “When we invest in high-quality, affordable housing in areas like Bedford Park, we are positively affecting the entire community.”
“Supportive housing is one of the most effective solutions to help stabilize individuals struggling with homeless, and a key pillar of the Mayor’s Housing New York plan. Today we are breaking ground on 68 new homes that will both provide a long-term asset for the Bedford Park community, and a solid foundation for New Yorkers in need of affordable housing and the supportive services that will help them to thrive,” said HPD commissioner Maria Torres-Springer. “I look forward to working with The Doe Fund and all our partners to see this project over the finish line, and thank them for their steadfast commitment to creating more affordable housing opportunities throughout this city.”
This project will join The Doe Fund’s existing portfolio of transitional, supportive, and affordable housing serving under-served populations across New York City. The Doe Fund announced last month that it received from New York State three Empire State Supportive Housing Initiatives (ESSHI) program awards to develop and operate three new projects in The Bronx.
“Today’s groundbreaking is the first step for 68 individuals and their families to take advantage of much-needed affordable and supportive housing in the northwest Bronx,” said NYCHA interim chair and CEO Stanley Brezenoff. “As the largest Section 8 administrator in the country, NYCHA is proud to provide the housing subsidy to support this new building that will provide critically needed housing to our most vulnerable populations for generations to come.”
“We’re proud to support this project, helping to bring safe and affordable housing to The Bronx residents,” said Dave Walsh, northeast regional manager for Community Development Banking, Chase. “Our team is dedicated to working with great local players like The Doe Fund that are having a positive and transformative impact on our communities.”
“The Doe Fund is one of our most reliable and innovative partners and we are delighted to congratulate them as they embark on another 68 units of safe, quality, affordable housing for under-served and vulnerable New Yorkers, including people without a home,” said Jennifer Trepinski, CSH director of loan originations. “As an early-stage financing partner of Villa Avenue, we’re proud our contribution helped secure the site and advance the construction of new supportive housing aimed at strengthening the Bedford Park/Special Grand Concourse neighborhood of the Bronx.”
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