Various state organizations have collaborated on a supportive housing residence project.
On Monday, May 18, New York State Homes and Community Renewal, Volunteers of America-Greater New York and the Housing Collaborative LLC held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to announce the completion of Creston Avenue Residence at 2388 Creston Avenue.
The project is the first supportive housing residence to be funded with the state’s Medicaid Redesign Team savings.
The residence, which was developed by Volunteers of America-Greater New York and the Housing Collaborative, provides 66 affordable homes for low-income tenants and residents with special needs, including veterans, who will benefit from on-site support services.
“Creating affordable, supportive housing like the Creston Avenue Residence allows Volunteers of America to fulfill its goal to help individuals and families in need,” said Tere Pettitt, president and CEO of Volunteers of America-Greater New York. “We will successfully help them by creative positive and lasting change which will come from offering them the support they need and from empowering them to live safe, healthy and productive lives.”
The state-of-the-art, high-tech building offers 24-hour security, rooftop, a recreation area for social interaction, community space for special events and a bilingual TransitScreen with real-time local transportation status updates. Green elements include green roofs, a rainwater harvesting system, high efficiency boilers, Energy Star windows, water saving features and more. The development is expected to receive a platinum certification from LEEDS for Homes.
“I am so grateful for the Creston Avenue Residence,” said resident Arnold Smalls. “When I regained custody of my 4-year old daughter, we moved into this beautiful apartment. The staff are so nice and they are always asking how we are doing. They support us and I will make sure that we never go back to a homeless shelter again.”
The project follows Governor Cuomo’s challenge to the MRT, assigning them the mission to identify more positive therapeutic results for Medicaid clients while simultaneously delivering taxpayer saving on Medicaid expenditures in 2011.
As a result, the MRT identified billions of dollars in savings for taxpayers over the past four years, $300 million of which will be spent on supportive housing investments.
“The Housing Collaborative is extremely proud to open this residential development,” said Robert Sanborn, principal of the Housing Collaborative LLC. “Not only does this innovative development provide safe, affordable homes for families in an exceptionally designed and green building, but it will also result in critical savings for NYS taxpayers.”
