The Doe Fund receives $1.128 million to renovate its first transitional residence for homeless men

Brooklyn, NY The Doe Fund, whose flagship Ready, Willing & Able program has helped thousands of homeless and formerly incarcerated men achieve self-sufficiency, unveiled plans to renovate the Gates Center for Opportunity. The transitional residence first opened in 1990 and operated under contract with the New York City Department of Homeless Services at 520 Gates Ave. in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood. 

The $1.128 million project will upgrade the facility’s infrastructure, modernizing flooring and fire doors to improve safety, overhauling boiler and electrical systems to increase energy efficiency, and improving the look and feel of community spaces for residents to enjoy. The renovation will take place in stages, with boiler and other systems work to begin next year, and completion slated for 2023-24.

Funding sources include two discretionary grants: One of $600,000 from New York City council speaker Corey Johnson and council member Robert Cornegy Jr., and another of $528,000 from Brooklyn borough president Eric Adams.

The project will advance The Doe Fund’s 30-year reputation of providing homeless individuals with dignified and safe transitional residences.  

“520 Gates is where the dream of Ready, Willing & Able became a reality. 30 years ago, when nobody believed it possible, the first group of homeless men moved in and began proving to the world that when given an opportunity to work and become self-sufficient, they would give up drugs and succeed. We have always believed in the power of environment, and renovating our original facility will demonstrate to our hard-working program participants that they matter, and that they deserve to live with dignity in safe, attractive and clean surroundings. We are deeply grateful to speaker Johnson, council member Cornegy and borough president Adams for sharing our vision and for providing the funding that makes this possible,” said George McDonald, founder and president of The Doe Fund. 

“While here are plenty of systemic pipelines that consistently bear on some of our borough’s most vulnerable, the Ready, Willing & Able program is a pipeline upward, providing the support, structure, and safety needed to break these cycles of homelessness, addiction, and recidivism. I am proud to have been able to provide funding to help the 520 Gates Ave. transitional residence renovate and reimagine its space and be able to continue its great work, especially in these difficult times,” said Adams.

“For 30 years, 520 Gates has sheltered men facing homelessness. But like any aging facility, it needs upgrades to keep operating safely and humanely. The City Council is proud to fund the renovation of this transitional shelter so that the men who live there have the comfortable and appealing space they deserve. I’m grateful to the Doe Fund for operating this facility and supporting New Yorkers in need,” said Johnson.

“This funding represents an investment in the infrastructure of opportunity. In supporting The Doe Fund in its indispensable work, we assist in delivering a more secure future for those who have faced homelessness. Joining with colleagues in government, I am proud we were able to invest more than a million dollars in renovating the Gates Center for Opportunity and our neighborhood’s future,” said Cornegy.

The 520 Gates Ave. transitional residence is the first of three shelters operated by The Doe Fund, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit whose mission is to break the cycles of homelessness, addiction, and recidivism by providing housing, holistic social services, and paid work opportunities. The Doe Fund operates Ready, Willing & Able, an award-winning residential, work-based program that gives homeless and formerly incarcerated men the tools they need to become self-sufficient.