The Doe Fund breaks ground on affordable housing development at 3188 Villa Avenue in the Bronx. Image credit: The Doe Fund.
The development will provide onsite supportive services for residents. On December 7, 2018, The Doe Fund broke ground at 3188 Villa Avenue, located in the Bedford Park/Special Grand Concourse District of the Bronx to begin construction of a 68-unit affordable and supportive housing development. The Doe Fund is partnering with Chase Community Development Banking to finance the construction, as well as the Department of Housing Preservation and Development, NYCHA, the Corporation for Supportive Housing, and the Human Resources Administration.
The development will be a ten story building with 60 studio units and eight one-bedroom units. Forty one units will be reserved for formerly homeless individuals and 27 units will be given to those on the NYCHA waitlist. The Doe Fund will provide onsite supportive services to residents in the building to include case management, employment training, linkages to health care, and drug/alcohol prevention services. The building amenities include 24-hour security, energy-efficient appliances and building systems, and shared bike room, community room, and a rear garden.
The Doe Fund is a New York City-based nonprofit organization that provides transitional work, housing, and educational opportunities to people with histories of incarceration, homelessness, substance abuse, and HIV/AIDS. The Doe Fund was founded in 1985 and derived its name in memory of a homeless woman known only as “Mama” Doe. In 1990, The Doe Fund established the Ready, Willing & Able transitional work program, which provides homeless men with economic opportunities in a year-long program of recovery, personal, and professional development.
Rendering of the building designed by DeLaCour Ferrara & Church Architects. Image credit: The Doe Fund.
“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.”
“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.”
Construction of the building is expected to be completed by 2020.