Concern for Independent Living Opens The Rochester Avenue Apartments, a New 65-Unit Supportive Housing Project in Crown Heights, Brooklyn

BROOKLYN, N.Y., Oct. 6, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Concern for Independent Living, a leading nonprofit provider of supportive housing, held a ribbon cutting today to officially open The Rochester Avenue Apartments, bringing an innovative supportive housing development and more than a dozen new jobs to the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn.

The project was made possible with support from the NYS Office of Mental Health (OMH), NYS Homes and Community Renewal (HCR), the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, the Community Preservation Corporation (CPC), Richman Housing Resources, Astoria Federal Savings, the Borough of Brooklyn, New York City and Brooklyn Community Board 8.

The 65-unit Rochester Avenue Apartments is located on the site of the former St. Mary's Hospital, which was closed in 2005 due to financial difficulties. The site became a neighborhood eyesore until it was purchased in 2008 and renovated by Concern for Independent Living for supportive housing.

"Kudos to Concern for Independent Living and their partners for taking the dilapidated St. Mary's Hospital site and turning it into supportive housing for dozens of low-income Brooklynites who previously lived in shelters and state-run facilities," said Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz. "Not only did the Rochester Avenue Apartments project deliver on the promise of creating new jobs, but it demonstrated how public-private partnerships can find creative ways of transforming 'blight into light' in our most vulnerable neighborhoods."

"When Concern purchased this site," said Ralph Fasano, Executive Director of Concern for Independent Living, "we promised the community we would transform this blighted property into a community asset, create jobs in the neighborhood and strengthen the fabric of the area by building a community garden and shared spaces.

"Rochester Avenue Apartments does all of that as well as create a beautiful and supportive living environment for formerly homeless individuals. I want to thank our partners in government and our not-for-profit and for-profit lenders for making this dream a reality," Fasano said. "Our new residence will allow many people who were originally from the area but living in shelters or state-run facilities to return to the community and live meaningful lives."

The total development cost for The Rochester Avenue Apartments was $24.56 million. Financing included $10 million in federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credits issued by HCR and syndicated through Richman Housing Resources, a $13 million OMH grant, a $900,000 grant from the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York in partnership with Astoria Federal Savings, a $6.5 million Bank of America Merrill Lynch construction loan and $13 million in permanent financing from CPC.

About Concern for Independent Living
Concern for Independent Living, Inc. is a non-profit agency committed to helping low income persons and persons with disabilities to live in the community with dignity and enhanced opportunities through the provision of housing and support services. Concern is one of the largest housing agencies of this kind in New York State, currently serving approximately 620 individuals and families in over 200 locations. Concern offers a variety of housing options with individualized support services designed to support personal growth and independence.

SOURCE Concern for Independent Living