Bridging Access to Care with Clipper Equity <br>open Flatbush Gardens - 59 buildings with 2,500 units
Brooklyn, NY Bridging Access to Care (BAC), a community-based nonprofit with experience providing social support services to underserved communities in New York City, hosted a grand opening event for its new service site within Flatbush Gardens through a partnership with Clipper Equity, the housing complex’s owner. This partnership demonstrates how wellness-oriented multi-service organizations like BAC can address New York City’s widespread housing and mental health crisis through creative solutions.
“Being homeless is a traumatic experience. BAC’s role in this partnership is to immediately engage those who return to the community from the shelter system starting the day they pick up their apartment keys,” said Nadine Akinyemi, chief executive officer at BAC.
Flatbush Gardens includes 59 buildings with 2,500 units and 10,000 tenants, with about half receiving government housing subsidies. In partnership with Clipper Equity, BAC’s role is to provide onsite behavioral health screening and social support services to new tenants who have been referred by the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) Homeless Placement Unit to move into 250 units designated for the Article XI Tax Incentive Program. Clipper Equity is providing BAC with in-kind office space in Flatbush Gardens.
“Welcoming BAC into Flatbush Gardens is not only an innovative way to provide direct, much-needed support to our residents but also an exemplary partnership model we hope others choose to adopt in their residential communities,” said JJ Bistricer, partner and chief operating officer of Clipper Equity. “Having a BAC office directly within Flatbush Gardens is bringing the community together and improving the quality of life for our residents. We look forward to celebrating the grand opening of the new service site with our partners at BAC, as well as with Brooklyn Borough president Antonio Reynoso and councilmember Farah Louis, both of whom we thank for their support on this meaningful initiative.”
Between February and July 2024, BAC has onboarded over 120 households for stable housing at Flatbush Gardens and connected many to services within and outside BAC. Our preliminary assessment of 45 individuals showed that –
• 53% were living in the shelter system for over a year
• 33% are without a primary care doctor
• 33% are interested in job search services
• 38% are living with at least one chronic health condition
• 31% need food assistance.
“I am immensely grateful for this monumental development to provide on-site behavioral health screenings and social support services for the residents of Flatbush Gardens,” said council member Farah Louis. “My advocacy in securing a historic Article XI agreement with Clipper Equity, along with over $506,000 in funding for Bridging Access to Care, will lead to real advancements in the quality of life and services for all residents at Flatbush Gardens. This partnership is a testament to the power of collaboration in addressing the complex needs of our community, and I sincerely thank Nadine Akinyemi for her continued commitment to the advancement and empowerment of our residents, ensuring that everyone in our neighborhood has the opportunity to thrive.”
“I’m thrilled that Flatbush Gardens is now home to Bridging Access to Care’s new service site,” said Brooklyn borough president Antonio Reynoso. “Organizations like Bridging Access to Care are essential to the well-being of our neighbors, offering mental health services as well as social support. The integrated services that will now be modeled at Flatbush Gardens will be an example for other institutions across the city seeking to uplift New Yorkers. Thank you to the leaders who came together to make this exciting announcement possible.”
“We know there are many mental health and social services needs here. We welcome BAC to Flatbush Gardens,” said Marietta Small, president of the Flatbush Gardens Tenant Association.
Akinyemi saud, “BAC’s innovative approach is to create Community Ambassador positions, fill them with Flatbush Gardens residents trained as Community Health Workers, who are the main contacts with the new tenants. BAC can also provide a wide range of services on-site, including behavioral health and health screening, chronic health care coordination, prevention education, harm reduction, HIV/Hep C/STI testing, and linkage/referral to services.”