Mixed housing for Cedar Ave.

Mixed housing for Cedar Ave.

Designed to strengthen the community and provide people with a secure home, a joint project between Community Access and Alembic Development Corporation will bring the Bronx a new affordable housing development.

On Wednesday, June 24, Steve Coe, C.E.O. of Community Access, and Benjamin Warnke, principal at Alembic Development Company, invited associates and partners to join them in celebrating the groundbreaking of the Cedar Avenue Apartments, located 1854 Cedar Avenue.

“We are very pleased to partner with Community Access on this important initiative that not only provides much-needed affordable housing for New York families, but also serves a long-overlooked population with quality housing and service options,” said Warnke

The $ 37 million project will bring 105 apartments into the neighborhood, with 50 units designated for households earning less than 60% of the area median income and 55 units available for persons recovering from mental illness.

“Our experience has been that when individuals with psychiatric disabilities are living in the same building as families from the community, a fundamental shift takes place,” said Coe. “The stigma associated with mental illness is lifted, and everyone begins to view each other as neighbors.”

Of those units, 40 will be 2-bedroom, 5 1-bedroom, and 60 studio apartments.

The building will also include front desk personnel at all times, security cameras, 28 parking spaces, a community room, a library and computer center with WiFi access, a backyard area, and on-site support staff.

Funding and support for the project came from the Corporation for Supportive Housing, HSBC Bank, NYS Division of Housing and Community Renewal, NYS Housing Finance Agency, NYS NYS Office of Mental Health, Richman Housing Resources, LLC, and TD Bank.

“Before I was accepted by Community Access I was homeless or staying in other people’s homes,” said Bevelynn Anderson. “It helped me get my life back together and I have come a long way, my whole family is proud of me. They offer so much to the tenants and I think it’s great they will be able to help even more people.”

The construction is estimated for completion in 21 months.