Supportive and affordable housing opens at Woodhull Hospital
On March 13, the ribbon was cut for the official celebration of the opening of Woodhull II Residence, a 93-unit apartment building at 171 Throop Avenue in Brooklyn.
“Our patients experiencing homelessness often struggle with an array of health conditions, and the prescription is clear: they need stable housing,” said NYC Health + Hospitals President and CEO Dr. Katz. “Permanent housing makes it easier to manage your blood pressure and diabetes, and living down the block from the hospital makes it easier to see your health care providers. NYC Health + Hospitals is so proud to open this bright, new apartment building today on the campus of Woodhull Hospital with our partners at HPD and Comunilife, and we’re committed to building more housing on our land as soon as possible. Our mission is to care for New Yorkers, and today, to so many of our patients and community members, we can say welcome home.”
“This investment of over $41M will provide supportive and affordable housing to NYC Health + Hospitals patients experiencing homelessness, as well as to low-income seniors and low-income New Yorkers. This new housing facility is how we make sure we have places for New Yorkers to heal and be cared for, and provide a path to stability, lasting community, and common purpose. Every unit at Woodhull will be a place where someone can reclaim their life, renew hope, and allow their New York story to continue,” said Mayor Eric Adams.
Patients of NYC Health + Hospitals who are experiencing homelessness will be selected for the building’s 56 units of supportive housing, and they will receive services from Comunilife and health care from Woodhull Hospital. The remaining apartments comprise 21 affordable homes for extremely low-income seniors, fifteen affordable homes for low-income New Yorkers, and one unit for the building’s superintendent.
“My apartment is great. I love it,” said Elvis Jordan, a patient of NYC Health + Hospitals/Woodhull and a new resident of the Woodhull Phase II building. “It feels great to sleep in a bed. Before I came to the Safety Net Clinic, I was at rock bottom. I was at my wit’s end thinking nothing would ever come through for me. Nkrumah and everyone here took good care of me. I have so much appreciation for what they did for me.”
Amenities at the Woodhull II Residence will include 24-hour security, laundry, a community room, a computer room, and a bike room. The new building connects to the previous building on the first floor, and they share a commercial kitchen, community space, and back garden. The new development meets design and sustainability standards set by Enterprise Green Communities — the green housing standard for affordable housing — including a smoke-free building, energy efficient appliances, solar panels on the roof, and landscaping that uses native or adapted species with efficient irrigation.
NYC Health + Hospitals contributed land to the project through a 99-year ground lease. Financed through HPD’s supportive housing loan program, the project includes a city investment of $14.6M in city subsidy and $15.5M in city low-income housing tax credits, as well as $500K in Reso A funds from the Office of the Brooklyn Borough President. The project also receives operating funding for rental assistance and supportive services through the New York City 15/15 Supportive Housing Initiative, which was the commitment to build 15K units of supportive housing in fifteen years created by Mayor Bill de Blasio in 2015.
The Greenline 