FEDERAL AND CITY HOUSING OFFICIALS JOIN COMMUNITY PARTNERS COMMISSION ASSOC., RIDGEWOOD BUSHWICK SENIOR CITIZENS COUNCIL, INC. AND PARTNERS TO CELEBRATE THE OPENING OF A NEW SENIOR HOUSING DEVELOPMENT IN EAST NEW YORK, BROOKLYN
Coretta Scott-King Senior Houses is now home to 50 individuals and families with a head of household 62 years of age or older.
BROOKLYN, N.Y. – The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) joins the Community Partners Commission Association (CPCA), the Ridgewood Bushwick Senior Citizens Council, Inc. (RBSCC) and partners to announce the opening of the Coretta Scott-King Senior Houses in East New York, Brooklyn. The new development includes 51 units of affordable housing with onsite supportive services for very low-income senior citizens and their families.
“Today we celebrate the opening of a beautiful, 51-unit apartment building that will soon offer a safe home with supportive services to dozens of seniors in East New York,” said HPD Commissioner Vicki Been. “ I want to congratulate community member Dedra Wade whose idea it was to develop this lot for elderly New Yorkers in need and whose determination HPD sees as downright inspiring. It takes a village to create quality, affordable housing, and we thank the Community Partners Commission Association, their partners at the Ridgewood Bushwick Senior Citizens Council, and all of the development partners who worked tirelessly to make this project a reality, and our federal partners at HUD for their support.”
Dedra Wade, President of the Coretta Scott-King Housing Development Fund Corp and CPCA ,Inc. said ” the successful construction of Coretta Scott-King Senior Housing is a long awaited affordable housing gift to the seniors of East New York Brooklyn. We look forward to future endeavors to fulfill the need for senior housing in New York.”
“We are delighted to be able to deliver much-needed senior citizen housing to East New York with the opening of the Coretta Scott-King project,” said RBSCC Housing Director Scott Short. “With rising rents throughout the borough threatening the housing stability of all, especially those on fixed incomes, projects that include Section 8 rental assistance contracts are becoming increasingly crucial. We hope that the Section 202 program receives increased funding and can continue to provide needed assistance to senior housing projects for decades to come. We wish to thank all of our partners that contributed to this important development.”
The Coretta Scott-King Senior Houses was constructed on vacant formerly city-owned land which was conveyed to the developer at the nominal fee of $1 per tax lot. The new development includes 32,736 square feet of residential space and 3,471 square feet of community space. Residents of the building have access to a number of supportive programs offered by RBSCC including medical and social security assistance, exercise and educational classes, along with day trips and other social outings.
The new residence will soon be fully occupied. Units were rented with a preference for adults age 62 or older, or to families in which the head of household is an eligible senior citizen. The entire development was designed to be affordable to very low-income families and individuals earning no more than approximately $24,800 for individual and $28,350 for family. Each renter is required to pay 30 percent of their monthly income towards rent. The remainder of the rental cost is subsidized by a HUD issued Project-Based Rental Assistance Contract in the amount of $1.1 million annually.
The HUD Section 202 program is a senior housing grant that has provided millions of dollars to New York City projects over the last few decades. The Coretta Scott-King Senior Housing Project is one of the last projects in New York City to be completed with this funding. The project received a grant of $7.3 million in Section 202 funds. HUD also provided an $117,100 Planning Grant to fund various pre-development activities including environmental preparation for construction.
Sucessful completion of the Coretta Scott-King Senior Housing was achieved through CPCA partnership with RBSCC and the following additional funding sources: $3.3 million in HOME funds from HPD, $1.2 million in Reso A funds from The Brooklyn Borough President’s office, and $1.5 million in Reso A funds from the New York City Council Brooklyn Delegation.
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About New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD):
The New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) is the nation’s largest municipal housing preservation and development agency. Its mission is to promote quality housing and diverse, thriving neighborhoods for New Yorkers through loan and development programs for new affordable housing, preservation of the affordability of the existing housing stock, enforcement of housing quality standards, and educational programs for tenants and building owners. HPD is tasked with fulfilling Mayor de Blasio’s Housing New York: A Five-Borough Ten-Year Plan to create and preserve 200,000 affordable units for New Yorkers at the very lowest incomes to those in the middle class. For more information visit www.nyc.gov/hpd and for regular updates on HPD news and services, connect with us via www.facebook.com/nychpd and www.twitter.com/nychousing.
About the Community Partners Commission Association (CPCA):
CPCA was established in 1996 as a not-for-profit resource center to connect East New York and Brownsville residents with self-help organizations specializing in a variety of education initiatives, job-training courses, after-school, nutrition and physical fitness programs. In 2003, the organization decided to pursue an affordable housing agenda for senior citizens in the East New York area. Coretta Scott King Senior Apartments is CPCA’s first affordable housing project.
About the Ridgewood Bushwick Senior Citizens Council, Inc. (RBSCC):
The Ridgewood Bushwick Senior Citizens Council was founded in 1973 as a senior service provider in the Ridgewood and Bushwick communities. At the heart of its mission was a deep commitment to empowering individuals and supporting families through the creation and facilitation of a thriving and healthy environment where growth and prosperity are possible. Since its founding, RBSCC has grown tremendously and its scope of services has extended far beyond that of its early years. Today it provides a vast array of social services to residents of all ages within the Bushwick, Williamsburg, Greenpoint, East New York, Ridgewood, Glendale, and surrounding Brooklyn and Queens communities. Serving thousands each year, the RBSCC has assisted countless community residents since 1973
CONTACT: Dedra Wade, HDFC President (718) 652-5358
Juliet Morris, HPD (212) 863-5682
