Image Credit: NYC HPD
Supportive services onsite will receive funding from the New York State Office of Mental Health. On May 21, 2019, the Department of Housing Preservation and Development, Governor Andrew Cuomo and other City and State officials announced the opening of Tres Puentes Senior Apartments at 285 East 138th Street and 2550 3rd Avenue in the Mott Haven neighborhood of the Bronx.
The complex is made up of two buildings; 2550 Third Avenue is an eleven-story building with 119 apartments, and 285 East 138th Street is an eight-story building with 56 apartments. Between the two buildings, there are 45 studios and 130 one-bedroom apartments. All units will be available at or below 60 percent AMI.
Of the 175 apartments, 53 will be reserved for households with at least one member with a serious mental illness. West Side Federation for Senior and Supportive Housing will provide for those 53 apartments support services including case management, healthcare management, mental health services, and socialization programs.
The complex has a laundry room on each floor and a community room and outdoor landscaped area. There is also 10,000 square feet of retail and community facility space, including a community health center, a locally owned pharmacy and an expansion of the Borinquen Court Senior Center.
The project cost $117.7 million. Of that total cost, $25.6 million was in permanent tax-exempt bonds. Federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credits provided $49.6 million in equity and Medicaid Redesign Team funds provided $6.1 million. Another $1.5 million was from the New York State Homes and Community Renewal. HPD’s Senior Affordable Rental Apartments Program contributed $13 million. Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. and the New York City Council together contributed $3 million to the project. The New York State Office of Mental Health will provide $900,000 annually for the supportive services.
Governor Andrew Cuomo stated, “The addition of the Tres Puentes Senior Apartments furthers our ongoing efforts to build a stronger Bronx community. By creating this mixed-use development we are not only increasing access to safe, affordable homes and services for some of our most vulnerable New Yorkers, we are stimulating economic growth and continuing the revitalization happening in the Bronx.”
HPD Commissioner Louise Carroll stated, “Seniors represent the fastest growing segment of NYC’s population, which is why this administration has left no stone unturned to create and preserve senior housing at record pace . . . Tres Puentes [Senior Apartments] marries health and housing to serve the comprehensive needs of seniors, a model that we hope to replicate more often as we push forward with our plan.”
Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr stated, “Our seniors invested in The Bronx during our most difficult times and we cannot forget about them now that we are enjoying a renaissance. This development will be a model for how we should be taking care of seniors and individuals with special needs, to empower them in being as active as possible and ensure that they have accesses to the services they need.”
By: Veronica Rose (Veronica is the CityLaw Fellow and a New York Law School Graduate, Class of 2018.)