New York Construction Report staff writer
More than $13.3 million has been awarded to expand and emergency and permanent supportive housing for individuals and families experiencing homelessness in several communities. Projects will create 51 apartments in the Bronx and a new 80-bed emergency shelter for families in Erie County.
Funding was also awarded for repairs to existing emergency shelters in Oneida and Chautauqua counties.
“These diverse projects will expand access to affordable housing, while helping provide safe, secure homes for some of our most vulnerable New Yorkers,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said this week. “Once completed, these structures will help bring stability to the lives of our fellow New Yorkers experiencing homelessness — helping them build a foundation for a better future.”
Funding comes through the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance’s Homeless Housing and Assistance Program.
Work awarded funding include:
- The Salvation Army was awarded $10 million to help construct 32 units including 80 beds of emergency housing for homeless families in Buffalo. This new shelter will replace the Salvation Army’s existing 77-bed shelter located on another parcel, so no residents will be displaced during construction. The first floor of the new building will have administrative and support services offices, and a laundry facility.
- The Bridge, Inc. – $3.1 million to help construct 51 units of permanent supportive housing in the Bronx for 12 frail and elderly adults and 39 individuals living with mental illness, all of whom have experienced homelessness. Support services to be provided to residents include case management, crisis intervention, educational and vocational services, and activities of daily living skills training, among others.
- Rescue Mission of Utica – $100,000 to make emergency repairs to its 59-bed emergency shelter in Utica, including window replacement, masonry work and painting the exterior of the building.
- United Christian Advocacy Network City Mission – $100,000 to replace an obsolete heating system at its 17-unit, 29-bed emergency shelter in Jamestown.
“This facility will provide a safe, secure, hopeful space where vulnerable families will not only have a warm bed and nutritious meals but can access a full array of services needed to lift themselves from crisis to stability,” said Major Annette Lock, Salvation Army director of operations. “Funding for the construction of this new center will ensure the continuation of the Salvation Army’s sixty-year tradition of supporting under-resources adults and children in Erie County on their journey to finding permanent, stable housing.”
The homeless housing assistance program provides capital grants and loans to not-for-profit corporations, charitable and religious organizations, and municipalities to acquire, construct, or rehabilitate housing for persons who are unable to secure adequate housing without special assistance. Grants are awarded through a competitive process.
