Lynn’s Place is named in honor of Lynn Wonsang, founder and former Executive Director of Unique People Services and longtime advocate for the disabled.
The new supportive housing development supports the core mission of ThriveNYC, a plan of action to encourage a more effective and holistic system to support
the mental well-being of New Yorkers.
Bronx, New York – The First Lady Of New York City Chirlane McCray, the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark Viverito, New York State Assembly Member Michael A. Blake, and other officials joins Unique People Services, the Community Preservation Corporation (CPC), and development partners to celebrate the start of construction on Lynn’s Place. The new supportive housing development will include 69 apartments affordable to low-income and special needs populations. Of the total 69 apartments, 42 will be home to formerly homeless individuals. Last week, the Mayor announced a sweeping new plan to create 15,000 units of supportive housing over the next 15 years, targeting even more New Yorkers in need, including homeless veterans, survivors of domestic violence, and street homeless individuals. Also last week, First Lady McCray joined the Mayor to announce the launch of the City’s ThriveNYC campaign to better support the mental well-being of New Yorkers.
“Today we celebrate the transformation of a vacant lot into a thoughtfully designed supportive housing development. In just a matter of months, a beautiful, energy-efficient building will provide much-needed affordable housing to people in need on a site that once was a community eyesore,” said HPD Commissioner Vicki Been. “I would like to thank Unique People Services, Robert Sanborn Development, CPC, Hudson Housing Capital, and all of our partners for making this development possible, and First Lady Chirlane McCray, City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and all of our elected officials for their commitment to creating a more affordable city for all New Yorkers, especially for those most vulnerable among us.”
“We’re making an on-going commitment to address homelessness in New York in a way that works for our city and treats everyone fairly,” said Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito. “Projects such as Lynn’s Place are an example and a model of how we can achieve that. I’d like to thank all parties involved in supporting and developing Lynn’s Place and all other supportive housing developments in our city.”
“It’s been a five-year journey to make Lynn’s Place a reality, and we’re fortunate to have a number of wonderful funders and developers who made this possible,” says Yvette Brissett-Andre, Executive Director, UPS. “Sixty percent of Bronx residents earn below the median household income so they can’t afford the high cost of rent,” Brissett-Andre explains. “Knowing we’re providing a home and support services to individuals and families in need is truly phenomenal.”
“An affordable and supportive place to call home can be one of the most effective pathways to helping people bring stability and opportunity back to their lives,” said Rafael E. Cestero, President and CEO of the Community Preservation Corporation. “We’re proud to be part of the team helping to finance Lynn’s Place—a development that will add new affordable housing to the neighborhood and provide dozens of New Yorkers with stable homes and supportive services. I thank Unique People Services and HPD, First Lady McCray, the Council Speaker, Bronx Borough President, and Assembly Member, and our financing partners SONYMA and NYCRS for their commitment to creating a more affordable New York for everyone.”
Lynn’s Place has been financed under Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Housing New York: A Five-Borough, 10-Year Housing Plan. The most comprehensive affordable housing plan in the City’s history and largest municipal housing plan in the nation, its goal is to create and preserve 200,000 units of affordable housing for very low- and middle income families to help address New York City’s affordability crisis.
The supportive features in this new development will answer the call to action issued by Mayor de Blasio and First Lady McCray in the recently announced ThriveNYC mental health roadmap, a plan to help every New Yorker live life to the fullest. Announced on November 23rd, ThriveNYC sets forth a plan to make sure that New Yorkers can get the treatment and support that they need – and lays out an approach that will improve the mental wellbeing of all New Yorkers. Forty-two of the total 69 apartments will serve formerly homeless individuals with a history of mental illness. These apartments will be filled via referrals from the New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH) and the New York City Department of Homeless Services (DHS).
Once complete, residents of Lynn’s Place will have access to onsite supportive services provided by Unique People Services. The building will feature a large sunken courtyard for recreational use, a shared multipurpose room, and onsite laundry facilities.
The new development will be constructed with many energy-efficient features including photovoltaic solar panels, a green roof, a high-efficiency boiler on the roof, low emission windows, low flow plumbing accessories in each apartment, and CFL and LED lamps throughout the building. The project will also use environmentally conscious landscaping to encourage the use of rain water to irrigate the outdoor areas; this includes the use of bio-swales and a rain water harvesting system. Lynn’s Place is anticipated to achieve LEED Gold certification.
The apartments in this development will include 56 studios, 12 one-bedrooms, and one two-bedroom unit for an onsite superintendent. All units will be affordable to low-income families and individuals, that means individuals earning no more than $36,300 annually and households of three earning no more than $46,620 annually will be given access to the affordable housing lottery. Forty-two of the apartments will serve formerly homeless individuals with a history of mental illness. These units will benefit from Project-based Section 8 which will allow these residents to pay only 30 percent of their monthly income, whatever it may be, towards rent.
The total development cost for this project is approximately $25,523,198. HPD provided $9.1 million in City Capital. The Community Preservation Corporation provided a commitment for a SONYMA-insured $3 million private pension fund permanent loan. New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito provided $1.8 million in Reso A funding. The project also received $73,200 from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority.
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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/hpdand for regular updates on HPD news and services, connect with us via www.facebook.com/nychpdand www.twitter.com/nychousing.
About Unique People Services, Inc. (UPS):
Unique People Services, Inc. (UPS), founded in 1991, is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing residential and support services to individuals with special and challenging needs. The agency operates 24 supporting housing programs across New York City and Westchester, providing opportunities for greater independence, community inclusion and an enhanced quality of life for the 1,000 individuals UPS serves annually. For more information, visithttps://www.uniquepeopleservices.org/.
About CPC
The Community Preservation Corporation, Inc. (CPC) is a non-profit lender providing reliable capital to underserved neighborhoods throughout New York State since 1974. A nationally recognized leader in affordable housing finance, CPC is committed to deliver financing and technical expertise, and to working with community partners to create and preserve affordable housing. To date, CPC has invested more than $9 billion in over 159,000 units of housing. For more information, please visit www.communityp.com
Contact: Eric Bederman, VP/Communications
212-869-5300, ext. 482 [email protected]