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The Doe Fund Breaks Ground on Affordable Housing Development in The Bronx

The Doe Fund Breaks Ground on Affordable Housing Development in The Bronx

The development at 3188 Villa Ave will bring 68 units of affordable and supportive housing to the Bedford Park/Special Grand Concourse District of The Bronx

THE BRONX, NEW YORK – On Friday, December 7, 2018, New York City-based nonprofit organization The Doe Fund broke ground to launch the construction of 68 units of affordable and supportive housing at 3188 Villa Avenue, located in the Bedford Park/Special Grand Concourse District of The Bronx.

The 10-story building will include 60 studio units and eight one-bedroom apartments. Sixty percent of the units (41 units) will be reserved for formerly homeless individuals; the remaining 40 percent (27 units) will be occupied by either individuals or households from the NYCHA waitlist.

“We are thrilled to help advance the city’s goal of ensuring all households have access to safe, quality, and affordable housing by bringing these 68 homes to The Bronx,” said George McDonald , Founder & President of The Doe Fund. “When we invest in high-quality, affordable housing in areas like Bedford Park, we are positively affecting the entire community.”

“Supportive housing is one of the most effective solutions to help stabilize individuals struggling with homeless, and a key pillar of the Mayor’s Housing New York plan. Today we are breaking ground on 68 new homes that will both provide a long-term asset for the Bedford Park community, and a solid foundation for New Yorkers in need of affordable housing and the supportive services that will help them to thrive,” said HPD Commissioner Maria Torres-Springer. “I look forward to working with The Doe Fund and all our partners to see this project over the finish line, and thank them for their steadfast commitment to creating more affordable housing opportunities throughout this city.”

The Doe Fund will provide onsite supportive services to residents, including comprehensive case management, linkages to health care, and other critical services, such as job preparedness, employment training, and drug/alcohol prevention services. Other amenities will include 24-hour professionally staffed security, energy-efficient appliances and building systems, and shared community spaces, including a bike room, community room, and a rear garden.

Construction on the building is expected to be complete by 2020. The building was designed by DeLaCour Ferrara & Church Architects, and the building contractor is Mega Contracting Group, LLC.

Chase Community Development Banking, a leading investor in developing communities and neighborhoods, financed construction. Other key project partners include NYC Housing Preservation and Development, NYC Housing Authority, the Corporation for Supportive Housing, and NYC Human Resources Administration. Bronx Community Board 7 approved the project at its January 16, 2018 meeting.

This project will join The Doe Fund’s existing portfolio of transitional, supportive, and affordable housing serving under-served populations across New York City. The Doe Fund announced last month that it received from New York State three Empire State Supportive Housing Initiatives (ESSHI) program awards to develop and operate three new projects in The Bronx.

“Today’s groundbreaking is the first step for 68 individuals and their families to take advantage of much-needed affordable and supportive housing in the northwest Bronx,” said NYCHA Interim Chair and CEO Stanley Brezenoff. “As the largest Section 8 administrator in the country, NYCHA is proud to provide the housing subsidy to support this new building that will provide critically needed housing to our most vulnerable populations for generations to come.”

“We’re proud to support this project, helping to bring safe and affordable housing to The Bronx residents,” said Dave Walsh, Northeast Regional Manager for Community Development Banking, Chase. “Our team is dedicated to working with great local players like The Doe Fund that are having a positive and transformative impact on our communities.”

“The Doe Fund is one of our most reliable and innovative partners and we are delighted to congratulate them as they embark on another 68 units of safe, quality, affordable housing for under-served and vulnerable New Yorkers, including people without a home,” said Jennifer Trepinski, CSH Director of Loan Originations. “As an early-stage financing partner of Villa Avenue, we’re proud our contribution helped secure the site and advance the construction of new supportive housing aimed at strengthening the Bedford Park/Special Grand Concourse neighborhood of the Bronx.”

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About The Doe Fund

The Doe Fund provides transitional work, housing, and educational opportunities to people with histories of incarceration, homelessness, and substance abuse. Recognized by many New Yorkers for their distinctive blue uniforms, the Men in Blue engage in a year-long program of recovery, personal and professional development, and economic advancement.

About The New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD)
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 Plan which was recently expanded and accelerated through Housing New York 2.0 to complete the initial goal of 200,000 homes two years ahead of schedule—by 2022, and achieve an additional 100,000 homes over the following four years, for a total of 300,000 homes by 2026. For full details visit www.nyc.gov/hpd and for regular updates on HPD news and services, connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @NYCHousing.

About the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA)
NYCHA’s mission is to increase opportunities for low- and moderate-income New Yorkers by providing safe, affordable housing and facilitating access to soci

al and community services. Almost 400,000 New Yorkers reside in NYCHA’s 325 public housing developments around the five boroughs, and another 235,000 receive subsidized rental assistance in private homes through the NYCHA-administered Section 8 Leased Housing Program. For more information, visit http://www.nyc.gov/nycha and for regular updates on NYCHA news and services, connect with us via http://www.facebook.com/NYCHA and www.twitter.com/NYCHA.

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